


A Blind Future

by PaigeyD93



Category: Naruto
Genre: Danzou being a dick, Eventual Happy Ending, F/M, OOC Sasuke Uchiha, Time Travel, kinda slow romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-12
Updated: 2015-06-21
Packaged: 2018-04-04 03:13:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 24
Words: 95,456
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4123639
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PaigeyD93/pseuds/PaigeyD93
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After having to bear witness to the awful execution of her former love interest and teammate, Sakura Haruno is given the most important mission of her life. She is sent back in time to make certain the Uchiha clan massacre DOESN'T happen. When she meets Itachi Uchiha he is nothing like the man she thought she knew. She certainly didn't think she would fall for him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Last Goodbyes and Council Meetings.

**Author's Note:**

> fair warning things start out slow for the most part, im not going to have Itachi and Sakura immediately jump in bed together but trust me it will happen eventually :D I'm going to try to keep everyone as in character as I possibly can:
> 
> THAT BEING SAID! Sasuke in the beginning of this story does not fall under the characters im gonna keep in character list. I found out a while back that I am completely incapable of writing Sasuke in character...don't know why but maybe it has to do with me not being able to write him as an asshole. lol okay im dragging on, sorry. 
> 
> NOTE: Ages have been altered in this story and are as followed:
> 
> Itachi: 17
> 
> Sakura: 17
> 
> Sasuke: 7
> 
> Shisui: 20

Chapter 1- Last Goodbyes and Council Meetings.

March 28th; Haruno Sakura's birthday. She should be happy right? Her and her friends should be out celebrating, you don't turn 17 years old every day. The world, unfortunately, had other ideas for the pink haired kunoichi and her friends today though and it wasn't pleasant.

Sakura stayed glued to Naruto and Kakashi's sides as they entered the small prison located on the outskirts of the village. Today instead of celebrating, the three of them had to say goodbye to their best friend, student and teammate for the last time. Sakura and Naruto's heads were drooped as Tsunade approached them in the dark, dimly lit, hallway. There was a sigh before her voice filled the silence.

"I'm sorry." She said her voice softer than usual. She truly felt bad for the three shinobi before her. "I tried." She said honestly. Kakashi laid a hand on her shoulder.

"Lady Hokage. This isn't your fault. Sasuke made his own mistakes and now he needs to take responsibility for them." He said his voice sad

"I know, the brat didn't make it easy for me to stand up for him. I agree he needs punishment but I don't agree with an execution, let alone a public one. Those damn Elders just want to make an example out of him." She grumbled angrily. Sakura looked up at her master with unshed tears in her eyes.

"Can we see him?" She asked, her voice held strong. It didn't betray the horrible feelings that swam around inside her and for that she was thankful.

"Right, yes. I bought you guys 5 min with him. I'm sorry that's all I could manage." She said sadly. The team nodded before making their way past Tsunade and down the hallway. Naruto had yet to utter a word since he found out the news of Sasuke's execution. Sakura eyed him worriedly but he didn't even look up, his eyes stayed trained on the ground.

It didn't take them long to reach Sasuke's cell. The spiky black haired man sat in the corner with his knees pulled to his chest. Sakura felt a silent tear fall down the left side of her face as she looked at him. He stared back at her before moving to Naruto and then Kakashi. His eyes looked sad but his face still held the same stoic unemotional expression it always did.

"What are you all doing here?" He asked suddenly breaking the silence. Sakura felt herself move forward and her hand gripped one of the bars of his cell. The movement caught the Uchiha's eye and he looked at her for a bit before she answered.

"We…we came to say goodbye." She murmured quietly

"Hn. Do you know what they are going to do to me?" He asked seemingly curious. The group stiffened slightly before Kakashi spoke

"It's a public execution…" Sasuke grimaced as Kakashi went on "That's all we know though."

Silence stretched on for a moment before a humorless laugh erupted from Sasuke suddenly

"What's so funny?" Naruto spoke up moving closer to the bars.

"You know, I killed my brother and the next thing I was going to do was return to the village. I was ambushed by leaf village ninja and I went with them willingly. If I had of known I would be executed I would have never went without a fight." He admitted standing up and leaning against the wall.

"What's stopping you from leaving now?" Naruto asked "I mean, I'm sure you could easily blow a hole in that wall behind you and be free." Sasuke rose a brow at the blonde before smirking and shaking his head

"You don't think they slapped a chakra seal on me the moment they captured me?" he asked. Naruto suddenly tugged on the cell door

"We can get you out of here, there has to be a way..." he said yanking a few more time. Suddenly Sasuke was at the door directly in front of Naruto

"Don't be stupid, dobe." Sasuke said angrily "I made my mistakes, I won't pull you down with me." Sakura's eyes widened at the sincerity of his statement. After Naruto let the door go Sasuke continued

"Seeing as this is probably the last time I will talk to you guys I better get everything off my chest."

"Naruto, thank you for being you." The Uchiha grinned "I may have been an bastard on more than one occasion but I could never truly sever the bond you and I share." He said honestly, he stuck his fist out towards the blonde, Naruto didn't hesitate to bump the other man's fist with his own. "Brothers for life right dobe?" Sasuke asked, Naruto wordlessly nodded too sad on the inside to utter more than what he said next

"Always, Sasuke. I never gave up on you." He said his voice tight with held back tears. Sasuke took his hand back and dropped it to his side. A small hint of a smile showed on his face.

"I know Naruto, I owe you a lot." He finished before looking to his right at Kakashi.

"Kakashi…" He started before a grin took over his face "My biggest regret regarding you is not knowing what you look like under that damn mask." He said eliciting a surprised chuckle out of the older man. "If I'm being serious though, thank you for everything you have taught me. Part of me wouldn't be the way I am today without you. You gave me the kick start I needed to become a strong, powerful shinobi." He finished. Kakashi nodded

"You're welcome, Sasuke. I just wish I could have heard all this under different circumstances." The raven nodded before finally turning to Sakura.

"Sakura, I could never return your feelings. I know you were one of the only girls to truly love me and I pushed you away more times than I can count. I know I hurt you so many times and I'm sorry."

Sakura nodded her tears falling faster than before "I forgive you Sasuke." She squeezed out lacing her fingers with his through the metal bars "I still love you but I'm no longer in love with you so please don't hold onto your guilt. You have my forgiveness." She whispered the last part as he moved closer to her a hesitant smile on his face

"Thank you, I didn't realize how much I needed to hear that." He said honestly. "Take care of the idiot..." he added retracting his hand from hers.

"I will do everything in my power." She stated honestly.

"We will be there, Sasuke; in the crowd. Look for us and use us as your support if you wish." Kakashi said more sorrow leaking into his voice.

"Thank you guys, I just might take you up on that offer. I'll see you all tomorrow." He said sadly

"Times up!" A guard said suddenly as he rounded the corner.

"Wait Sakura." Sasuke said suddenly making the girl turn around "Happy birthday." He said sincerely, she forced a smile on her face more tears squeezing their way out of her eyes  
"Thank you." She murmured.

With a final glance at Sasuke the three shinobi turned around and walked away for the last time.

0000

Mitokada Homura one of Konoha's village advisors stood from his seat at the oval shaped table "We are all here for one reason." He began; addressing the three other people seated around the table. "That reason is to decide how Uchiha Sasuke will be put to death." Those words made Tsunade feel even heavier with anger.

"As I've said countless times before, killing him is not the answer!" Tsunade exclaimed her palm smacking loudly against the polished wood in front of her.

"On the contrary, Tsunade." Danzo spoke up in his deep voice. "Killing him is the only plausible action." He said keeping his expression indifferent. Tsunade clenched her hand into a fist

"How do you figure that?" she growled lowly

"Simple." He said sitting straighter in his chair "He must be made example of. We must assert our authority in this situation. We can't have our shinobi thinking they can commit such crimes and have it go unpunished. Sasuke has deserted and betrayed our village by abandoning it and teaming up with the likes of Orochimaru." Tsunade inwardly groaned in frustration, she had no way of making this better, she had no way of proving Sasuke was worth it. He had broken the rules and there was nothing she could do about this.

"I agree." Homura added moments after retaking his seat.

"As do I." Utatane Koharu, the last council member sitting at the table, finally spoke up. Tsunade hated them all.

"Now back to how he will die." Homura stated again bringing the attention back to the initial task.

"Burn him alive." Koharu suggested

"No, hang him." Homura countered. Tsunade barely resisted an eye roll.

"We will be-head him." Tsunade said with finality "I will not be persuaded otherwise."

"This isn't something you can decide on your own princess." Danzo said leaning back in his chair.

"That's how it's going to happen. Afterwards his body will be cremated; to protect the Uchiha's kekkei genkai" Tsunade stated. There was a collective sigh around the table before Homura spoke up

"I believe this is fair." He said. Koharu looked hesitant before nodding

"Agreed." Tsunade then looked over at Danzo not really caring what his answer was because it didn't matter.

"Fine." He said before taking a breath. "I do have one request though."

"Spit it out, Danzo. I have work to do." Tsunade grumbled letting her annoyance seep through a little.

"I would like to remove his eyes before we kill him and do it in front of everyone." He said with his still indifferent facial expression. Tsunade's eyes widened in shock

"Excuse me!?" she exclaimed "Why the hell would we do that? His eyes will burn with his body when we cremate him. That's the whole point of cremating him."

"Yes, Danzo. Please explain your reasoning behind this." Koharu said; the old woman looking more than a little interested.

"Taking his eyes will shame him." He started. "We will be taking away the thing that gives him the most power. We will be making even more of a statement."

"No! Don't you think executing him publically is shaming him enough!?" Tsunade cried in anger

"Yes." Homura and Koharu said in unison agreeing with Danzo and completely ignoring Tsunade. All eyes turned to Tsunade after that and the younger woman saw red.

"You people make me sick." She said her voice low. She got up from her seat "This meeting is over." She stated before walking out of the room angrily.

0000

"Dammit. We have to do something." Tsunade growled as she sat down in the chair behind her desk. Shizune stood in front of her, clipboard clutched in her hands opting to stay silent. "But there isn't anything we can do. Those bastards on the council made that clear." The blonde woman paused again before looking up at her assistant. "What is your opinion on Uchiha Sasuke?"

"Certainly he deserves punishment." The woman said still clutching her clipboard "But I don't think execution is needed." She sighed before continuing "Wouldn't it be so much better if none of this ever came to be and Sasuke didn't leave the village at all? I just wish the Uchiha clan massacre never happened."

There was a small pause of silence after Shizune uttered those words before Tsunade suddenly stood up with a look of complete awe on her face. "Shizune! You're a genius! I know what to do now. I need your help though." Shizune straightened her back getting serious again.

"Anything, Lady Tsunade."

"For starters. I need everything on the Uchiha Clan Massacre and the one responsible for it…. Uchiha Itachi."


	2. An Eye for an Eye

It was meant to be a grand affair for all village ninja to attend, but only the shinobi that were available and not on missions, were in attendance. As Sakura looked around she could see about thirty or so people around them, not many but it created a small crowd on top of Hokage Mountain. Naruto stood on her right and Kakashi on her left. It was rare to see Kakashi without his little book out but Sakura figured reading it right now wouldn't be appropriate and her Sensei didn't look to be in the mood for much of anything.

The murmurs of confusion as to why they were all gathered here surrounded the three members of team seven. Sakura clenched her hands into fists and looked down at the ground. She still couldn't comprehend what was about to occur. As if losing Sasuke permanently wasn't bad enough, they all had to watch it happen. Sakura wasn't lying to Sasuke when she said she wasn't in love with him anymore. She loved him still but as a friend and teammate. She had moved on a year or so after he had left them.

Sakura's head snapped up when gasps of shock rang through the small crowd and the pinkette looked around. Her gaze locked with a head of black and spiky hair above the heads of the men and women around her and her stomach dropped. This was it. The murmurs and chatter grew in volume as Sasuke came completely into view.

All he was currently wearing was regular navy blue shinobi pants with sandals. His upper body was bare and the sunlight reflected off his pale skin. His hands were tied behind his back and two guards from the prison led him through the crowd and stopped in the centre of the group. The noise around Sakura didn't seem to calm down.

Without much thought Sakura reached for Naruto's hand next to her and grasped it. He glanced at her oddly but didn't pull away. The two guards pressed roughly on Sasuke's shoulders; forcing him painfully to his knees. He hadn't looked up as he was too preoccupied with looking at the large block of wood in front of him. Sakura could only guess now how they were going to kill him and it made her stomach churn.

Moments later Danzo walked through the crowd taking his place next to Sasuke. Sakura recognized him instantly as one of the village advisors but knew he didn't make an appearance all that often. The crowd knew this as well which made the chatter stop immediately. In the silence Danzo cleared his throat before speaking in his regular, monotone voice.

"Due to my influence we have captured a great enemy of the leaf. Today is the day I can say, a threat will be removed from our lives, a threat that has made us fear to walk outside in our own home. Our village, the very place we should feel the most secure." He stepped back and gestured slightly toward the raven kneeling at his side. "Uchiha Sasuke." He paused again "His crimes are many, and his punishment will be death."

There was a collective gasp after he finished speaking. Sakura could see the mixed feelings surrounding her. Some were clearly happy with this sentence and other's seemed to see it how it was and thought it to be unnecessary, just like she did. Suddenly Danzo cleared his throat again as a sign that he was about to begin speaking for a second time. Clearly his speech wasn't done and the crowd fell silent again.

"This…Child has committed the most unforgivable act to us, this village. Abandoning us to join the ranks of Orochimaru; a fellow traitor to our village. He aided Orochimaru and the sound ninja in the attack on the leaf four years ago which resulted in the fourth Hokage's death."

"That's a dirty lie!" Naruto yelled his shoulders visibly shaking with anger. Sakura tightened her hand in his and yanked on his arm before whispering harshly

"Idiot! Shut up!" She warned. Danzo was annoyed by the interruption but immediately ignored Naruto's comment and demanded the attention of the crowd again as he spoke

"We are also lead to believe he has helped other enemies' in their plans that were meant to harm our home." He paused for a moment raking his eyes over everyone once before continuing his speech.

"There is no way we could ever begin to forgive such acts against us and to our families that we spend our every waking moment trying to protect. There is only one way to ensure our village can sleep peacefully at night; and that is to eliminate Uchiha Sasuke!" his voice was slowly getting louder as he went on. The group remained silent, hanging on the man's every word. Were they all seriously falling for this? The thought made Sakura mad. Naruto wasn't fairing any better and Sakura feared he would snap soon. She just hoped she could hold onto him before he does something stupid and gets them all killed.

"This boy would never be able to set aside his rage, the hate inside of him will forever grow, until it has become the only thing he is. His family, the entirety of the Uchiha clan, was the same. They were consumed by their power, and became greedy.

They had unleashed on our village the nine tailed demon, leaving us to fend for ourselves when we needed them most! Sasuke has too, become consumed, by his own power; slaying his brother, Uchiha Itachi who killed his own kinsmen in a single night. But it hasn't been enough. Uchiha Sasuke went on to join the ranks of Akatsuki to destroy our home! He has proven time and time again to be nothing more than a child throwing a temper tantrum." Sakura stopped herself from growling, Sasuke never joined Akatsuki, she knew this for a fact. Danzo was making Sasuke sound far worse than he was.

"For such actions I cannot allow this boy any ounce of pride, what right does he have to it? Stripping us of our security, making us fear every rustle of the wind through the trees, every possible sound and shadow we see? I say we make him feel the same fear and pain we've felt all these years. And to do that, we take from him his eyes!" he said finishing his speech off with quite the dramatic end.

"What!?" Sakura found herself gasping out loud. She looked to her sides and noticed Kakashi looked somewhat shocked…at least as far as she could tell with his mask. When she glanced at Naruto and she unconsciously grasped his hand even tighter at the absolute murderous look on his face. He was beyond mad now. Her eyes then went to Sasuke and she gasped when his dark orbs locked with hers. The look of uncharacteristic vulnerability that broke through his features made her heart jump in her throat. She had never in her life seen that expression on Sasuke's face.

Before she could think any more on the matter, two of the guards from the prison showed up at Sasuke's side again and hauled him to his feet. Sasuke who, up until this point, had planned to give no resistance in the carrying out of his punishment began to squirm violently in the guards' firm grasp. Danzo took a step toward Sasuke arm outstretched…that's when hell broke loose.

Naruto wrenched his hand out of Sakura's and pushed his way through the crowd. Within a millisecond he was standing in between Danzo and Sasuke in a very threatening stance. Without much thought, Sakura too jumped in taking up a stance at Naruto's side ready to defend if need be. The thought that what they were doing right now was so bad on so many levels, against a man such as Danzo no less, crossed Sakura's mind fleetingly.

It took less than a second more before four ANBU members took their place at Danzo's side. Sakura had to give the man a little credit, he didn't flinch even once when Naruto had shown up. Now though, Naruto and Sakura were outnumbered not to mention what they were doing could be seen as traitorous behavior, they were defending a criminal…

There was a slight breeze to Sakura's right but she didn't have to look to realize it was Kakashi appearing beside her.

"Stand down you two." He almost growled, the annoyance clear in his voice. If Sakura was being honest the sound of his voice so irritated had the hair on her neck raising it wasn't Kakashi-like at all.

"I refuse to let him belittle Sasuke so badly. Isn't it bad enough they are publically executing him!?" Naruto asked the anger very easy to hear in his tone as he glared daggers at Danzo who still looked indifferent.

"It is not your choice. I will not ask again, Naruto. Stand down." Kakashi answered moving to Naruto's side and gripped his shoulder tightly. Before Kakashi could forcibly remove the two of them, Lady Tsunade pushed her way into the situation and Sakura hoped to kami the anger in her eyes wasn't directed at her or Naruto. Thankfully the blonde woman turned on Danzo and in a loud enough voice for the medium sized crowd to hear, she spoke

"Danzo…leave this alone or make yourself out to be more of a fool. I warned you this was a bad idea. Look at the crowd around you. Do the majority of them look like they agree with this entire situation?" She asked gesturing around them with a sweep of her arm. The crowd's displeased murmurs grew in volume and Sakura was happy to see the annoyed and somewhat disgusted look on some of the people's faces. Sakura could see Danzo's eyes take in the disgruntled people around him and he snapped his fingers once which made the four ANBU at his side vanish.

He turned around and the only sign of his irritation was the tiny tick sound he made with his tongue before walking off toward where he had come from originally. The tension quickly dissipated from Sakura's muscles as Danzo disappeared and she looked back at Sasuke. His eyes were wide as if he was surprised the three of them had stood up for him like that. The gratitude was displayed on his features too, but it was hidden a lot better. Tsunade clamped her hand painfully tight on the back of Sakura and Naruto's necks making them wince when she pushed them down slightly so they were kind of bent at the waist

"As for you two. I will be needing you both in my office when all this is over." She said her voice tight before letting them go.

After returning to their spots Sasuke was once again forced to his knees but this time his head was pushed down onto the block of wood in front of him. There was the distinct sound of a sword being unsheathed from its case before a man Sakura didn't know slowly made his way toward Sasuke. Sakura noticed with disgust that they were using Sasuke's own katana to kill him. The sword was raised above the man's head and Sakura clamped her eyes shut when it made its way down; she just couldn't watch.

0000

*Five Days Later*

"Lady Tsunade!" Shizune yelled as she burst through the door to the Hokage's office. Her face was flushed from running and she was mildly out of breath. Tsunade stood from her seat at the sudden entrance and watched with bated breath as her assistant waved a scroll clutched in her hand around wildly. "I found it! I found the exact mission records you wanted so badly!" She said a wide smile stretching across her face. Tsunade grinned motioning Shizune over and taking the scroll from her. The blonde's grin turned into a full out smile when she read the detailed report of a mission that took place about ten years ago.

"Excellent work, Shizune." The older woman praised "Summon Sakura, we have much to discuss."

0000

Sakura felt heavy. Her heart hurt and she was almost angry with Tsunade for giving her a week off from work at the hospital to mourn. If anything she wanted to work more, she wished she could stop thinking about it all. Kakashi had been sent on a mission two days after the execution and Naruto had barely left his apartment. Sakura had tried visiting him yesterday but promptly had the door shut in her face. To say that stung was an understatement. She didn't blame him though, she knew the feeling of wanting to be alone. Unlike her Naruto felt like a failure; he failed to save his best friend and that was eating at him more than anything and the pinkette had no idea how to help him.

With a sigh she looked up at the tall building in front of her; Hokage Tower. Tsunade had summoned her and a feeling in her gut told her it was serious. The wary woman made her way slowly up the stairs before knocking on the door to her Master's office.

"Come in." She heard through the thick wood before she entered. Tsunade was sitting behind her desk as usual with two large piles of paperwork on each side of her. She looked tired but also excited…almost? Sakura wasn't sure how she felt about that. It was rare to see much of Tsunade's emotions unless she was raging mad about something. The blonde gestured toward the chair situated in front of her desk "Please sit Sakura." Sakura did as she was told and sat down.

"Do you have a mission for me?" Sakura asked not quite able to hide the way her voice rose with excitement at the thought of getting her mind off everything.

"Yes. I do." The older woman said before her face got serious. "This is unlike any mission you have ever been on Sakura. It's a solo mission and an important one at that."

"I can handle it." Sakura assured letting Tsunade know she could continue with the briefing.

"I have a very interesting and highly forbidden Jutsu." The woman began leaning back in her chair slightly as if getting ready for a long conversation "It's a time travelling Jutsu and I'm one of the very few people to have the privilege of knowing it. That being said your mission will be to travel back in time ten years to change the future…." Tsunade trailed off when she noticed the confused look on her apprentice's face.

"Time travel? That's actually possible?" Sakura asked shocked, Tsunade clucked her tongue in annoyance at the interruption before answering the question

"Yes, but it's not supposed to be. Going back in time is very dangerous, one wrong move and you can change the future entirely. This isn't always a bad change but sometimes it's destructive beyond repair." She paused to let that sink in to Sakura's mind before continuing "Your mission, as I was saying earlier is to travel back in time ten years.

The only event you are to change is the Uchiha Clan Massacre. You need to make sure it doesn't happen." Sakura's eyes widened and she sucked in a breath so hard she choked on her own spit. After embarrassing herself by choking for a few seconds she calmed down and looked back up at the woman in front of her.

"Why would you want me to do that?" she asked incredulously. "You want me to kill Itachi…the Uchiha Itachi!?" Sakura asked knowing right then and there that she wouldn't be able to. He was capable of taking out his entire clan by himself, she was no match for him. Tsunade's lips thinned out into a straight line.

"If it comes to that yes. You are to stop it at all costs." She paused waving Shizune over from the corner of the room. Sakura hadn't even noticed the other woman was there. "Don't worry, Sakura. I have a fool proof plan to make your mission a lot easier. That's if it works out the way we want it to."

"Okay, what is this plan?"

"I had Shizune dig up everything she could on the massacre. Unfortunately there isn't much, which is troubling. With something as big as this was and still is there should be more information on it." Tsunade said with a frown.

Sakura couldn't help but nod in agreement "What does it say?"

"Basically all it says on the matter is solely based on Sasuke's testimony. Sasuke said his brother slaughtered their clan to test his abilities and that he wasn't sure why Itachi had left him as the only survivor." She pursed her lips "Besides that and the basic information on how many casualties there were, that's it."

"So your saying when I get there I need to do some research of my own. I don't know what it is but I feel like there is much more to this story." Sakura said,

Tsunade nodded "I agree. Get as much information as you can, and stop the massacre. You will have six months to complete this mission."

"So when I go back I have six months before the time of the massacre?" Sakura asking needing to clarify.

"Yes." Tsunade answered with a nod.

"I found everything we need to make this easier for you Sakura." Shizune added afterwards.

After that the three woman spent an entire two hours going over every tiny detail of Sakura's mission. Tsunade had definitely done her homework and she was right. This was a mission unlike any other Sakura has or ever will do. She was ready for it though, if it meant Sasuke could never have died she would do it.

That night as she lay in bed she let her thoughts wander to what she was about to do. She would be leaving tomorrow. Tsunade would be taking her to a specific area about a day's walk outside the village to transport her. She had been taught the jutsu she would need to use to travel back ten years and also the one she would need to come back to the present when her mission was complete. This whole thing was nerve racking. Sakura couldn't help but worry, what if something went wrong? Tsunade had warned her this wasn't a mission that she could fail, but what if she did? What would she do and the most worrisome of all questions…what kind of future would she come back to?

With a sigh she turned over on her side willing her mind to shut up before closing her eyes and drifting to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment :D


	3. Plans Set In Motion

"Please don't forget to give that scroll to Lord Third." Tsunade said from Sakura's side as they prepared her for the departure.

"Right." Sakura said with a firm nod. Nerves were fluttering around in her stomach like angry butterflies and she willed them to go away.

As if sensing her apprehension, Tsunade placed her hand on her apprentice's shoulder and said "You can do this Sakura. I have faith in you." With a sigh Sakura nodded again. She could do this. The pinkette watched as Tsunade looked up to the sky for a moment before furrowing her brow. The sun was just beginning to set and the evening air was getting cool.

"Remember Sakura, you will be transported into a rogue ninja camp. This rogue group is dangerous. They were plotting against the village and ANBU was dispatched to take them out. You have been held captive by these ninja for two months, your family was killed before you were taken prisoner and your family's home has already been given to another family. You are homeless, penniless and alone. I'm hoping Sarutobi-sensei will have faith and trust in my letter to him and aid us in this quest…but be careful, he may not and you will have to abort the mission and return to the present time.

If my calculations are correct you will be sent to the exact location of the group of rogue ninja's and Itachi's ANBU squad will show up about two hours later give or take a few minutes." She said before getting a serious look on her face. "But you must go now. We can't be a moment late or our plan will fall through the cracks."

"Hai, Lady Tsunade." Sakura said strongly. Pushing down her nerves, she stepped back and began the necessary hand signs. As she laid her hand on the ground, a circle of light formed around her and the wind picked up, whipping her short, pink tresses around her face violently. She shook her head at the sudden blurriness clouding her vision. There was a small moment of panic before her vision went dark and she collapsed.

0000

Sakura slowly opened her eyes and sat up before immediately regretting the hasty action as her head spun and throbbed in pain. As her vision cleared she took a look around. She was surrounded by trees and there was a small tent to her right. Glancing down at herself she was dressed in her normal shinobi attire; red and white shirt with black shorts, her pink medic apron and pouches that held her ninja tools.

It took her a moment to notice that there were two voices getting closer to her so she didn't get a chance to completely take in her surroundings. Every instinct in her told her to hide but she knew she had to stay put. She had to be caught by these men, it was part of the plan. They both rounded the corner laughing about something before stopping short when they noticed her sitting on the ground, a few feet in front of them.

Sakura forced a shocked expression with a hint of fear on her face before getting up so fast she felt dizzy, she really didn't like the side effects of that jutsu. It made her feel queasy and light headed.

"She's from the Leaf!" One of the men exclaimed pointing at her headband that was clearly displayed in its regular place. "A spy?" he asked a split second later. Sakura widened her eyes again as if she had been caught before turning around and taking off into the trees. She heard their collective shouts behind her before they were in hot pursuit. This was going to be a lot easier than she thought it would.

Seeing as she wasn't actually trying to get away she wasn't running as fast as she could and they caught up pretty quickly. Suddenly Sakura noticed what felt like wire wrap around her legs and she lurched forward off the branch she had landed on before tumbling to the ground in a painful heap. Thankfully it wasn't too far down and she wasn't injured too badly. Sakura was gasping for breath when the two landed next to her, the fall had knocked the wind out of her and she felt a throbbing pain in her left ankle. Abruptly they hauled her up to rest on her knees, her arms were tugged behind her back and she felt the same wire she was tripped with wrap painfully tight around her wrist.

That was easy….almost too easy.

0000

After bringing Sakura back to their camp, the two men bragged about their find to their buddies saying that Sakura was a spy and everyone should be thankful they didn't let her get away. The pinkette was sitting on her knees again and resisted an eye roll at their cocky attitudes. She knew they would get what was coming to them soon enough. Probably in the next hour or so.

Sakura was tugged from her thoughts when a man stood in front of her gripping her chin roughly, forcing her to look up at him.

"She's a pretty thing isn't she? Maybe you and I can have a little fun tonight, eh sweetheart?" he grinned showing off his yellow teeth. Sakura didn't stop the disgust from showing on her face.

"Fuck you." She growled before gathering saliva in her mouth and spitting it onto the ugly man's face. He shrank back in shock before quickly ridding the spit from his face. His expression suddenly changed to pure rage. Sakura saw the punch coming and did nothing to dodge it. Sure it hurt, like a bitch, but hey a few injuries could only help her cause when she was rescued.

Against her will she cried out when the resounding crack seemed to echo in her head and her neck snapped back due to the force of the punch. Pain shot up her nose and warm liquid began to trickle out of her nostrils in a steady stream. Her eyes watered and the salty flavour of her blood assaulted her taste buds when some of it dripped into her mouth. She spit it out before glaring at the man responsible. The men around her were laughing

"She's a feisty one, eh Akuma?" a man to her left laughed. The one who had punched her, Akuma, grinned.

"Oh yes." He gripped her chin again "That's okay I like them like that." Sakura snarled suddenly, having enough of this man's shit. She sat back on her butt and managed to get her legs out in front of her. She swung them to the side in an attempt to knock his feet out from under him but he easily dodged. She forgot these were relatively skilled ninja. That totally would have worked on a regular person. She didn't have even an ounce of a chance at taking any of them tied up the way she was.

00

About a half hour later Sakura was still sitting on her knees, which had begun to ache; surrounded by a few of the camp's occupants. Her face ached from the abuse it had taken, all because Akuma had thought she deserved a few more harsh slaps for no good reason. The last bits of light from the day were gone and many of the men had retired to their tents to sleep. Sakura was hoping beyond hope that the squad would get her within the next forty-five minutes to save her from the night she was sure to be put through. Sakura wasn't by any means a virgin, she had been on a few seduction missions in her life but that doesn't mean she enjoys when it's forced on her.

The queasy feeling that had assaulted her stomach after preforming that jutsu had yet to go away and her head was still pounding. Exhaustion was beginning to take hold of her and she couldn't shake it. Before she could dwell much more on how sick she was feeling, Akuma stood from his spot on the log to her left. The orange light from the fire made the lines on his face more prominent which made him look older than what he was. The light from the fire was blocked from Sakura's view when he stood in front of her. The pinkette shivered in disgust at the look on his face. Clearly he was looking forward to their night together.

The man dragged her by the arm to his tent and Sakura barely held back the wince as the action rubbed the wire against her already tender wrists Her ankle also didn't like the treatment as it throbbed. After being roughly thrown to the dirt covered ground, Sakura managed to barely pick herself up into a kneeling position and she turned to face Akuma with a glare firmly set on her face.

"So how about we have that fun now." Akuma grinned he trailed one finger lightly down her face. Sakura flinched away her eyes narrowing.

This wasn't part of the plan. Sakura was very much contemplating escaping and figuring out another way. Though as appealing as that sounded she couldn't risk compromising the ANBU squad's mission by causing a camp wide search for her. The men were asleep in their beds, the perfect scenario for Itachi's team to get the job done without a problem. Coming to that conclusion Sakura realized she would have to suck it up and deal with whatever she was going to go through tonight.

"It's a pity I had to rough up your pretty face earlier today." He said with a mock frown before brushing his thumb across Sakura's nose. She hissed in pain before jerking her head away. There was no doubt her nose was broken and she wished so badly that she was able to heal it, the pain in her nose only added to her pounding headache. Suddenly Sakura felt her stomach clench and bile rise in her throat. She willed it back down not wanting to throw up everywhere but secretly wanting the satisfaction of vomiting all over this vile man in front of her and seeing his reaction.

Akuma ran his rough hand down Sakura's neck before getting to the collar of her red shirt, he rolled the material between his two fingers a few times before moving his other hand to the same spot. He gripped it before quickly ripping it down the middle. The small squeak of surprise that came out of Sakura's mouth quickly turned to rage as she tugged on her bound hands. Thankfully her chest was tightly bound with bandages so he really couldn't see much besides her stomach, but that wasn't what pissed Sakura off so much. It was the fact that this was the only outfit she had right now. She hadn't brought anything with her, this was it and now she couldn't even wear that.

Before Sakura knew what was happening he had gone ahead and ripped her shorts too.

"What the fuck is your problem!? Why do you feel the need to ruin my clothes!?" Sakura growled angrily as she gathered chakra in her hands. It wasn't working though, sure chakra was gathering easily but her wrists were tied behind her and she couldn't break the wire.

"I would have to untie you to take your shirt off properly."

"And my shorts?" she asked again, her anger still obvious

"That was because I wanted to." He answered with a grin. Sakura was disgusted to say the least, she hated this man with every fiber of her being. She was currently sitting in front of him in nothing but panties and her medic apron which he had left on after removing her shorts. They had also removed her weapons pouch earlier and she felt so exposed and vulnerable.

With an inward sigh, Sakura closed her eyes and tried to think of happier thoughts to distract herself from the sound of Akuma untying his pants. The silence dragged on before there was a choked gasp followed by a wet gurgling sound. Sakura's eyes shot open to see Akuma grabbing at his neck; blood poured steadily from the obvious wound there. She glanced up further and looked beyond the dying man to see a head of spiky silver hair with a cat ANBU mask. She knew that hair, not to mention she could clearly see the sharingan in the ANBU's left eye. Kakashi-Sensei.

Sakura inwardly groaned at her luck. Of all people to rescue her it was her sensei. She was half naked for kami's sake. She plastered a look of uncertainty on her face as Akuma dropped to the ground no longer being held up by Kakashi. Seeing her hesitation, just like she wanted him to, Kakashi grabbed his mask and lowered it only enough to clearly show his 'Leaf' headband.

"Don't be afraid we are from the same village as you. We're here to help." He said his voice almost exactly the same as what she knew it to be, although it was a tad colder and held less emotion to it. She was relieved that wearing her headband had helped her in this situation. She nodded and a blush dusted her cheeks. This really shouldn't embarrass her all that much, but it was her sensei; not that he knew this. He went behind her and she sighed in relief when her wrists were set free. She brought them to her chest and rubbed at the sore marks the wire left behind.

"Can you walk?" She heard him ask. She nodded and accepted Kakashi's help in standing up only to falter slightly. She almost forgot about her sore ankle. It wasn't anything serious, she could walk just not that fast. Figuring this out immediately Kakashi picked Sakura up bridal style and wordlessly carried her out of the tent. Sakura was sure her face couldn't get any more red. She could feel the bare skin of her thighs against his arms. Who knew this would be so embarrassing! If this were Itachi carrying her or any other person besides Kakashi she would be fine! This was her sensei though and this was not fine.

When they left the tent, Kakashi's movement caused a light breeze to toss up her medic apron, giving anyone who was looking a clear view of her panties. She gasped lightly in embarrassment and pushed the fabric back down.

"Be careful." She mumbled quietly. Kakashi's mask stared down at her

"Careful?"

"If you move too quickly, you're going to see my underwear, this apron doesn't cover much."

"Hm. I don't particularly care too much. I'm not a pervert." Sakura held back a snort of laughter at that lie. What kind of man reads porn in front of his students and isn't considered a pervert? She kept that to herself, though.

Sakura tried to distract herself by looking around as she was carried through the camp. If she didn't know any better she would assume everyone was still sleeping, although the men that were guarding the camp were clearly dead; their bodies draped over one another in a small pile. Sakura closed her eyes and rested her head against Kakashi hoping he didn't feel the warmth of her blush through his thin sleeveless shirt and ANBU vest.

It didn't seem to take them long before reaching a clearing where Sakura guessed everyone was meeting up. The entire area was lit up by the moonlight as Kakashi placed her down beside a tree. She immediately brought her knees up to her chest in an attempt to cover whatever she could. She couldn't help but feel relieved the moment she was set down. Her blush wouldn't go away though.

Suddenly another man was squatting down in front of her. His mask resembled a dog. His hair was short, curly and a jet black colour that seemed to blend in with the dark sky.

"What's your name?" he asked his voice surprisingly friendly and soft. He was close enough so she could see the red and black swirl of his sharingan in both eyes. So he was an Uchiha.

"Sakura." She answered easily. She barely moved a muscle when he touched her face only wincing once when he pressed lightly on a tender part of her cheek. She wouldn't be surprised if her entire face was bruised.

"Your nose is broken and your face is bruising pretty badly." He said confirming her thoughts. Sakura shrugged.

She could tell them that she was a medic and could heal herself but the sudden nausea in her stomach crippled her speaking abilities, her stomach clenched again and this time she shoved the man in front of her to the side and out of the way. He stumbled, pushed off balance. He fell to the side a little before regaining his balance as Sakura threw up her stomach contents only a foot away from him. Sakura didn't know the time travel would affect her body this much. She hoped these symptoms would pass quickly, she couldn't take much more of this.

After wiping her mouth and grimacing down at the mess she made Sakura sat back down letting her back lean against the tree. She sighed before placing her own cool hand on her forehead. She opened her eyes and noticed the four man squad looking down at her. She couldn't see their facial expressions because of the masks but they seemed concerned.

"Are you alright?" the one with the weasel mask asked cocking his head to the side a little. That had to be Itachi. The long, black hair tied into a loose pony tail was a dead giveaway; not to mention that voice. She had only come in contact with him once but she would never forget his deep, oddly calming voice.

"I'm okay. Just feeling sick is all." She answered; not particularly enjoying how all of them were staring at her. She gasped and pulled her knees to her chest again as if just remembering her state of undress.

The man who had examined her face earlier knelt down to her side and removed a scroll from a pouch around his waist. He made a few hand signs before clothing appeared in the middle of the scroll in a puff of smoke.

"Here." He said handing her a shirt and pants "They're mine so they might be big on you." He warned. She nodded and grabbed the clothing.

"Thank you…uh…" she paused unsure of what to call him

"Shisui." He said quickly sounding as if he was smiling underneath his mask.

Sakura smiled at him "Thank you, Shisui." She said before pulling the navy blue, wide collared shirt over her head. She stood and watched with relief when all of them turned around to let her put the pants on. She removed her medic apron and pulled the pants up. Shisui was right, these were huge on her. She put a knot in the side of the shirt so it wouldn't look like she was swimming in the thing and tied the same coloured pants as tight as they would go. Leaning against the tree again she rolled the pant legs until they were no longer dragging on the ground. Sakura glanced up when she was done and as the four of them began to walk away from her she took in their appearances a little closer.

All of them wore the traditional ANBU attire, Kakashi and the other man Sakura couldn't place had sleeveless, dark blue and high collared shirts with the usual grey ANBU vests and forearm protectors. Shisui and Itachi looked exactly the same except they had wide collared short sleeved shirts underneath their vests.

Sakura was torn from her musings when Itachi suddenly appeared in front of her.

"We have to leave now." He said evenly. "I've been told your ankle is injured. Therefore I will be carrying you to our camp. We will rest there for the night and return to the village tomorrow."

"Okay I-"She started but was interrupted as he easily picked her up and into his arms. "I was going to say I'd rather get on your back. Wouldn't that be easier?" she asked as he jumped into one of the trees; after giving the signal to move out to the rest of his team.

"Hn. This works fine." He said shortly before pushing forward. The wind blew Sakura's hair around slightly as a big yawn snuck up on her just then and her eyes drooped.

"There are some question I need you to answer, Sakura." Itachi said ignoring the way her eyes fought to stay open.

"I'm tired." She whispered. Itachi must have heard her because he sighed

"We will need to have a talk in the morning then. Sleep now, you're safe." He assured. Sakura could feel the truth in those words, and shockingly enough; even though she was in the arms of a future ruthless murderer, she did feel safe.

So she let the day's events slowly catch up to her and her eyes drooped closed once more. Her head rested against Itachi's arm and she drifted into unconsciousness.


	4. Understanding Leaders and Annoying Father's

Nerves fluttered around in Sakura's stomach as the gates of Konoha came into view. She had run alongside Itachi for most of the trip back and to say he was hard to keep up with was an understatement. The rest of the team were either used to the brisk pace or they were always this fast. Sakura hid her heavy breathing as well as she could; refusing to show any type of weakness in front of the four man team.

"Like we discussed last night Sakura, we will need to go and speak to the Hokage right away." Itachi said before he motioned for them to move forward again and through the main gates of the village. Sakura thought back to the night before where she had been questioned beside the fire.

*Flashback starts*

_After sleeping for the hour long trip to their camp Sakura felt a little bit better. The nausea had passed and her headache wasn't so painful anymore. As for her ankle she would only feel pain if she stepped on it._

_Once they got to the camp Shisui knelt in front of her again but this time he took off his mask and hooked it to the side of his pants; a sign that he was off duty for the time being. Unsurprisingly he was attractive. When is sharingan wasn't activated he had dark eyes. His hair was short, black and slightly curly and he had a kind smile gracing his features. He cupped her face again before placing his two thumbs on either side of her nose._

_"I'm going to have to set it properly, this is going to hurt." He warned. She managed to give a short nod, her eyes clamping shut. There was an awful crunching sound that rang in her ears and she groaned at the pain that shot up her nose._

_"Sorry…here, it's bleeding again." He said before handing her a cloth. She took it gratefully before holding it against the bottom of her nose._

_"I'm a medic, so I can heal my wounds myself. I would have done it before we left but I was feeling pretty sick." She explained, he nodded giving her another smile. She suddenly thought of something. "Is anyone injured?" she asked looking around at the other three men who had also taken off their masks. She saw now that she actually knew all of them. Itachi, Kakashi and even Yamato were here. Itachi was currently setting up a fire for the night and Yamato and Kakashi were rolling out sleeping mats. She looked back at Shisui to see him shrug_

_"I don't think so. After what you have been through though, I don't think it's wise for you to be using too much of your chakra to heal others. Just worry about yourself okay?" he asked with a small smile_

_"Okay…but please let me know if there is a serious injury."_

_He nodded standing up "I'll let you know, but don't push yourself." He said before walking toward Itachi._

_After Sakura had healed her nose, ankle and managed to lighten the bruising on her face she stood up. The air was getting cold and she was grateful for the warm clothes Shisui had lent her. She made her way toward the small fire Itachi had made and sat beside the team captain. His dark eyes never left the dancing flames in front of him but she knew he was aware of her presence. Sakura pulled her legs up to her chest again before resting her chin on her knees._

_The warmth of the fire heated her face comfortably and she glanced quickly at the man beside her. If she was being honest a decently sized part of her was somewhat frightened by Itachi. The man she had come in contact with in her own time was cruel, ruthless and in her opinion heartless. He was skilled and held an aura that screamed power. Sakura's mind thought back to when he put Kakashi into the hospital for a week or two from using his tsukuyomi and she had to supress a shudder._

_Looking at him now though, Sakura had to admit he looked different, he didn't look so cold and heartless. He had even asked her if she was okay back in the clearing and had carried her all the way to camp. He told her she was safe and she had believed him immediately._

_Sakura noticed that he had yet to make a sound. He looked as if he was thinking hard about something and Sakura was hesitant to break his concentration but she would rather get this out of the way now instead of tomorrow morning. She cleared her throat and ignored the other three men as they glanced at her. Itachi took his time before he turned to meet her gaze._

_"Feel free to ask me those questions now." She said breaking eye contact and looking back to the fire. "I'm feeling better."_

_"Tell me everything." He said simply. Sakura's eyes widened_

_"Where do I start?" She asked with a small humourless laugh._

_"From the beginning, why did no one know you were missing?" he asked. Sakura sighed forcing, what she hoped was a pained expression, onto her face._

_"I was probably thought to have died with my family the day I was taken." She said sadness seeping into her tone. Suddenly all eyes were on her, which made it all the more important to act like telling them all this was painful. Her acting skills were now being seriously put to the test. She was in the midst of highly trained shinobi, who no doubt were specifically trained in the art of detecting lies of any kind._

_Sakura went on to explain that day in as much detail as she could. Her and her 'family' had gone outside the village for a day of fun, something they didn't do often. She explained that she was the only ninja in her family and that her brother and parents were civilians._

_"They killed my family right in front of me." Sakura whispered almost glaring at the fire. The best way to make this believable was to think of how she would feel if this actually happened to her parents. "They grilled me for information on the village and threatened the life of my mother, father and little brother. I never said a word and my family paid the price." She said satisfied when her eyes began to tear up. At seeing her unshed tears Shisui shuffled his weight around beside her before she felt a warm hand on her shoulder. She gave him a small smile as thanks before going back to looking at the fire._

_She felt his hand slide off her shoulder and back into his lap. From what she gathered so far Shisui seemed to be a kind and caring man. He didn't like to see people hurting no matter who they were and it made Sakura wonder how a man such as him could possibly live with being in ANBU._

_Itachi pulled her from her off topic thoughts with another question "What happened during your captivity?"_

_Sakura sighed and let her legs stretch out straight in front of her. "They beat me, treated me like crap and desperately tried to break me. I held strong though, killing my family did nothing to help their case. It made me more determined to keep my mouth shut. They never got anything out of me." Sakura went on to explain that they still fed her regularly and let her heal her wounds._

_"Why did they keep you alive?" Itachi asked again seeming skeptical over the situation still. This made Sakura nervous, if Itachi didn't believe her story her mission could fail. Sakura still kept the hope that the third Hokage would help her once he read the scroll still hidden in her medic pouch._

_"They were going to kill me." Sakura said; her voice still quiet. "Then they decided I was worth more alive than dead. They were under the impression they could use me as leverage for something. They thought I was more important to the village than what they were after. I still don't know what they wanted but I suppose it doesn't matter now." She finished._

_Silence fell over the group after Sakura had finished speaking. The sounds that could be heard were the crackle and occasional popping sound coming from the fire and the crickets chirped loudly around them, but that doubled with the cool breeze rustling through the trees was oddly soothing._

_"You all get some sleep." Itachi's voice pierced the stillness "I'll take first watch." ___

__*Flashback Ends*_ _

__Standing in front of Sarutobi Hiruzen, the third Hokage, was surreal. Sakura couldn't help but stare. She hadn't seen the man alive in years. He looked younger than what she remembered but not by much. He still held that aura of wisdom and calmness he always did. Right now he was staring at Sakura with an unreadable expression on his face. Itachi and Kakashi flanked her sides while Shisui and Yamato stood at the back of the room silently._ _

__Itachi had already given the report for the mission and added everything Sakura had told him about herself. Still the Third's gaze never left Sakura. She started feel slightly antsy at the attention and she cleared her throat before speaking into the otherwise silent room._ _

__"Lord Third, if I may have a moment of privacy with you?" Sakura asked bowing slightly before hesitantly looking up and making eye contact with the man in front of her._ _

__"Very well. Everyone out please. Except Kakashi, you stay." He ordered._ _

__"Hai." The three other men answered before making their way out of the room._ _

__"Don't go far I will need you back in here in a moment." He said before the door shut behind them._ _

__Kakashi left her side to take his place next to the third ready to defend the man if need be. With a sigh Sakura began_ _

__"You don't know me." Sakura began causing the Hokage to raise an eyebrow in question. "I'm not lying when I say I am a Leaf village shinobi, my name is Sakura. Right now, in this time, I am only seven years old and starting at the academy in three days." Now a blatant look of confusion covered the older man's face._ _

__"I don't understand."_ _

__"I have a scroll that explains everything, Sir. Would you like to read it?" Sakura asked retrieving said scroll from her pouch and stepping forward to give it to him. Kakashi instantly took it from her, the lack of trust in his eyes was obvious and Sakura fought the urge to frown at her future Sensei. She had to keep in mind he also had no idea who she was yet._ _

__"It's fine Kakashi. Hand it over." Hiruzen said calmly. Kakashi hesitantly handed it over and watched as the older man unrolled the scroll and began to read. Sakura and Kakashi could clearly see the look of shock on his face as he read. Three or so long minutes passed before the Hokage put the rolled up scroll onto his desk and looked at Sakura._ _

__"That was…interesting." He paused as if gathering his thoughts. "I believe you Fuyuga Sakura. However, since I don't know for sure that this was not a forged letter I will be keeping a close eye on you during your-"he paused again "Mission of sorts. Understand?"_ _

__"Of course, Hokage-sama." Sakura agreed immediately before bowing. Sakura was giddy with the knowledge he was on her side. He even used her undercover last name 'Fuyuga'. Using 'Haruno' could prove to be problematic and could be easily traced back to her actual family._ _

__After being told to bring in the other three men again, Kakashi and everyone else filed into the room._ _

__"Sakura is indeed a shinobi of the village. However unfortunately due to her two month long captivity, her family's home has been inhabited by someone else. She is homeless and has no money and she is in need of a place to stay." Silence fell over the room at the unspoken question. Who could take her in? Kakashi stepped forward_ _

__"I would offer her a place at my home, Lord third, but I have no room for another person in my small apartment."_ _

__Yamato stepped forward then and said he was in the same boat as Kakashi and wouldn't be able to house Sakura either. Hiruzen nodded before moving his gaze to Shisui. Shisui rubbed at the back of his neck with a small frown on his face._ _

__"My apartment is also full, Sir." He said pausing "It's just me and my younger sister but we only have two bedrooms." There was a small sigh before Itachi stepped forward_ _

__"I can offer up a bedroom in my home." He said an unreadable expression on his face. His shoulder's seemed tense though and this made Sakura a little wary._ _

__"Thank you, Itachi." Hiruzen said before looking toward Sakura "Is this okay with you?" he asked knowing what her answer would be, but needing to ask anyways._ _

__"Of course." Sakura said turning toward Itachi with a small smile "Thank you, Itachi. I appreciate your hospitality."_ _

__"Hn." He said in response, although Sakura could tell he almost looked worried about something._ _

__With that being dealt with, they were all dismissed and Itachi's squad was given two days off to rest. Sakura walked in the middle of both Itachi and Shisui as they made their way toward the Uchiha compound._ _

__"Do you want me to come with you?" Shisui asked looking over at Itachi; an unreadable expression on his face._ _

__"It wouldn't hurt for you to be there." Itachi answered_ _

__"Yea, you could definitely use the support." Shisui added before looking ahead again. As they walked through the gates of the compound Sakura chanced a glance at the two men on either side of her._ _

__"Is something wrong with me staying at your house, Itachi?" She asked hesitantly_ _

__"No. It will work out." He answered cryptically. Shisui sighed beside her which made her look his way._ _

__"Itachi may have already told the Hokage he would take you in, but getting Itachi's permission is far from enough."_ _

__"What do you mean?" Sakura asked not really understanding it all._ _

__"There is a man you need to get approval from first." He paused a frown marring his features "And let me tell you, he isn't an easy man to gain approval for much of anything, if he is against it. Something tells me he will be against this…"_ _

__"Who is this man?" Sakura asked again, although she had a small idea of who it would be._ _

__"My father." Itachi answered._ _

__"Oh." Sakura murmured as silence fell over them yet again._ _

__Sakura looked around as they walked through the small community of Uchiha. There were small shops including a Sweets shop with an older woman standing outside. She rushed over to Itachi with a warm smile on her face._ _

__"Itachi, dear!" she exclaimed grabbing hold of his arm and all but dragging him toward the shop. Sakura followed when she noticed Shisui do the same. The older woman was chattering on and on about something to Itachi and he nodded and smiled softly before following her into the entrance. Shisui and Sakura remained outside._ _

__"That's our aunt. She owns this Sweet Shop. Only people from our clan come to it usually." Shisui explained._ _

__"How are you and Itachi related?" Sakura found herself asking curiously._ _

__"Cousins." He answered with a smile on his face "Although more like brothers. I consider Sasuke to be like a little brother to me too."_ _

__Sakura decided to play dumb. "Sasuke?" she asked looking up at the man beside her._ _

__"Itachi's seven year old little brother." He explained the smile still on his face._ _

__"Ah okay." She answered before watching as Itachi exited the shop with what looked like a small bag of candy in his hand. The older woman hurried out after him and approached them with a small smile on her face._ _

__"Oh and who is this pretty thing?" she asked kindly before placing her small hand on Sakura's shoulder. The pinkette gave the dark haired woman a warm smile_ _

__"Her name is Fuyuga Sakura." Itachi explained. The woman nodded before removing her hand_ _

__"Nice to meet you Sakura." She said sincerely "My name is Uruchi." She turned to Itachi "Remember, Itachi, those are for sweet little Sasuke!" she said motioning toward the bag of candy while wagging a finger at him._ _

__Shisui scowled "Why don't you give me free sweets anymore?" he asked sounding depressed. The woman frowned_ _

__"You're not a child anymore, Shisui. You're twenty years old you have to buy the candy now." She admonished lightly. Shisui pouted, his bottom lip jutting out softly. Sakura hid her small laugh with her hand before following Itachi's lead when he began walking away; the small baggy of sweets still in his hand. They had just turned the corner when Sakura saw Itachi throw the bag in the air. She followed the item with her eyes as it arched over her and landed smoothly in Shisui's eager hands._ _

__"Hey, isn't that for Sasuke?" She asked hands on her hips as she frowned at Itachi._ _

__Itachi rose a brow at her. "My little brother hates sweets." He explained shortly before coming up to a rather large house near the middle of the compound._ _

__"Yea he always gives me the bag when he gets them." Shisui said with a huge grin on his face. Sakura rolled her eyes but laughed anyways._ _

__"Then why were you complaining about not getting free sweets anymore."_ _

__Shisui scoffed as if it was obvious "She can't know I get them anyways…besides you can never have too many sweets you know." He finished while opening the bag and popping one of the treats into his mouth. As they approached the door to the house the atmosphere changed to something far tenser when Itachi turned around and pinned Sakura with a stern look._ _

__"I'm the one who needs to handle this situation. So no matter what is said, Sakura, please do not say a word." Sakura nodded getting even more worried over the situation, how bad could this be?_ _

__They all walked through the door, Itachi's hand on Sakura's back; guiding her through the hallway. Sakura hated to admit she found it kind of comforting. She really had no idea what kind of situation she was about to walk into._ _

__"Father?" Itachi called_ _

__"In here." Came the gruff answer. Itachi followed the voice still guiding Sakura as all three of them walked through the living room. Sakura didn't have time to look around before she was lightly pushed into another room. This appeared to be a tea room. A small table sat in the middle of the room with two glass doors that led out into the backyard._ _

__Uchiha Fugaku, a tall, well-built man with short and dark brown, almost black, hair stood from his spot at the table to greet them. His dark eyes narrowed when they landed on the pink haired woman in his home. Itachi removed his hand from Sakura's back not wanting his father to get the wrong impression._ _

__"What's going on? Who is she?" He asked his voice harder than it needed to be. Sakura set her shoulders straight and held her head high. She would not cower in this man's presence. Especially not when she was standing next to Itachi, a man who was capable of single-handedly taking out his entire clan in one night. If you really wanted to get technical she should be more frightened and wary of him than his father._ _

__"This is Sakura, Father. She is in need of a place to stay-"and just like that Fugaku's whole body went rigid and his eyes hardened. Sakura couldn't deny the man was intimidating._ _

__"No! Absolutely not!" he yelled, making the three shinobi in front of him visibly stiffen._ _


	5. Jailhouse Rules

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if this is confusing v_v but I cant seem to properly figure out the italic system on this site so ' ' is Sakura's thoughts and " " is regular dialogue.

***************

Sakura glanced quickly at Itachi only to see his mouth set in a hard line, his brow furrowed in what she could only guess as annoyance.

"Tou-san, please hear me out." Itachi said in a calm voice.

"No, Itachi. She is not of the Uchiha clan so I will not allow her live in the compound. I'm sure there are plenty of other places she could stay elsewhere in the village." He said his tone seeming final.

"There isn't, trust me this was our last resort. We saved her from rogue ninjas, she was held captive for two months and she lost her home and has no money. It will just be for a few months I'm sure." Itachi explained. That was a slight lie they hadn't exhausted all their options but Sakura wasn't about to speak up on that.

"No!" Fugaku growled again.

"What's going on in here?" Sakura whipped her head around to spot the woman who had entered the room behind them.

"Kaa-san," Itachi breathed, showing only a slight sign of relief. His shoulders didn't seem as tense anymore as he watched his mother cross the room and take her place next to her husband.

Sakura couldn't help but stare. Uchiha Mikoto; No wonder both her sons were so handsome, she was gorgeous. Her long black hair was silky looking and her dark eyes were warm as she regarded the men in the room. Her eyes strayed toward Sakura and a flicker of confusion crossed her expression before she masked it and looked up to Fugaku, awaiting the answer to the question she had asked upon her entry into the room. She had pale smooth skin and Sakura could clearly tell which of her sons took after her in looks. Sasuke definitely had more of his mother in his features than his father. Sakura glanced at Itachi once before she concluded he had a bit of both his parents in him.

Sakura had been so caught up in her thoughts that she hadn't realized the suffocating awkward silence that had blanketed the room. The only sound was the quiet breathing of the five occupants and the glare Itachi and his father were sharing was intense. Shisui shuffled from one foot to the other beside Sakura. The awkwardness seemed to be getting to the man.

He cleared his throat making Sakura look over at him "I'm…I'm going to get out of here." He said before turning around

"No!" the loud shout made Shisui freeze in place before suddenly turning around and straightening his back. "I will not allow this woman to roam by herself. You will take her into the living room and sit with her while we chat in private. Do not take your eyes off of her, Shisui." He ordered sternly.

"Hai." Shisui said with a sharp nod before gently grabbing Sakura's arm and guiding her out of the room.

' _What the hell is this all about? _' Sakura found herself thinking ' _Do they think I'm some kind of spy or something? _' she sighed when she sat down on the soft navy blue couch. ' _If Fugaku really thinks I'm a spy this arrangement will never work. _' She thought forlornly.______

______Shisui sat down next to her and refused to look at her._ _ _ _ _ _

______"You're already failing your mission." Sakura found herself grumbling. Shisui looked over at her with a shy grin at being caught._ _ _ _ _ _

______"Sorry Sakura. I knew this was going to be difficult. Itachi and Mikoto are good negotiators though, I just hope Mikoto will be on our side." Sakura didn't get a chance to answer him because of the muffled shouting in the room next to them. She couldn't understand what they were saying but she knew when each person was talking. Mikoto suddenly spoke, her voice seemed calm like she was trying to defuse a potentially bad situation._ _ _ _ _ _

______"Is he always this difficult?" Sakura asked not hiding the disbelief in her voice_ _ _ _ _ _

______"Yes, he is very old fashioned. In his mind, you're not an Uchiha, you can't be trusted." Shisui answered leaning back into the cushions of the couch with a sigh._ _ _ _ _ _

______Sakura wasn't sure how long it was before Itachi walked out of the room followed by Mikoto, and eventually Fugaku. Sakura looked up at Itachi before standing. He gave a short nod_ _ _ _ _ _

______"You can stay." He said before frowning "Although there are some rules." Sakura felt Shisui stand beside her._ _ _ _ _ _

______"You may leave now, Shisui." Fugaku said lowly. Shisui bowed slightly before leaving the room and eventually we all heard the front door shut. Sakura turned toward Fugaku and bowed her head before speaking._ _ _ _ _ _

______"Uchiha-sama, I will follow any rules you put down for me." She said honestly. She glanced up and was relieved to see her respect toward him was noted, he seemed at least a little pleased._ _ _ _ _ _

______"My first and most important rule is that you will not leave or wander anywhere; this includes around the house, without an escort. Itachi will be that escort. You are completely Itachi's responsibility and if he is on a mission he is to appoint you another escort of his choosing. You will never be left alone._ _ _ _ _ _

______You will also need to earn your keep. Seeing as you aren't allowed around without an escort or out of the compound unless absolutely necessary you will help Mikoto around the house doing whatever she wants you to without question." Sakura knew her eyes were wide…but she couldn't help it. She already felt like a prisoner. These rules were insane. A sudden question popped into her head and she forced down the urge to blush._ _ _ _ _ _

______"If I may…" she trailed off "What am I to do about bathroom breaks and bathing?"_ _ _ _ _ _

______"Itachi will be with you during those times too." Sakura's mouth dropped open in shock and she couldn't control the blush that painted her cheeks. She didn't miss the way Itachi frowned and Mikoto spun around to face her husband._ _ _ _ _ _

______"Fugaku! I am putting my foot down there, you will allow this woman the privacy to use the washroom and bath without our son in the room with her." She said sternly. To Sakura's absolute relief Fugaku grudgingly agreed._ _ _ _ _ _

______"Fine, but he will be outside the room monitoring you during those times." Sakura noticed the way Itachi's frown deepened, perhaps he was second guessing his decision to let her stay. Sakura wouldn't blame him, this is turning out to be a lot of work for him._ _ _ _ _ _

______"For now that is all. I will add to these rules as I see fit. You may settle in now."_ _ _ _ _ _

______Sakura nodded once "Thank you for your hospitality, Uchiha-sama." She said before approaching Itachi. He gestured to the staircase a few feet away and began walking toward it. Sakura hesitantly followed his tall frame up the stairs and into the long hallway._ _ _ _ _ _

______"This is my bedroom." He stated quietly as he opened the door and let Sakura walk in first. The room was bright with sunlight streaming in from the big window situated above the side of his bed. There was a double bed pushed up against the far wall of the room with a navy blue comforter and white sheets with white pillows._ _ _ _ _ _

______Upon further inspection Itachi's room was impeccably clean and organized. It smelled nice too, much to Sakura's surprise. To her left was a closet and beside that to the right was his dresser._ _ _ _ _ _

______"Would you like the bed or the floor?" Itachi asked from behind her. She turned around to see him watching her, his hand rubbing the back of his neck slightly as if unsure of what he was supposed to do. The action seemed completely out of character only confirming yet again, he was different. It made Sakura wonder if he has ever had a girl in his room before. The thought made her inwardly giggle._ _ _ _ _ _

______"Of course I'll take the floor. I'm not going to let you give up your bed Itachi." She said smiling at him. He frowned before looking away at something behind her._ _ _ _ _ _

______"These rules my father has put up are ridiculous I know. I apologize for them, so if you want the bed I have no problems sleeping on a bed mat on the floor." He said again. Sakura crossed her arms against her chest and stared at him. His long dark pony tail was draped softly over his left shoulder, held together by a red band. His black bangs framed his face perfectly and his onyx eyes were deep and Sakura knew once she got the hang of reading those eyes she would be able to know exactly how he was feeling. Sakura guessed that his eyes, like Sasuke's most of the time were an open book._ _ _ _ _ _

______It had come to her notice the Uchiha were generally very reserved and private. They would rarely show their emotions to anyone and hid their thoughts well with a blank mask. Sakura would make it apart of her mission to learn how to read them, or how to read Itachi in particular. She needed to be able to see what he was hiding if she ever wanted to figure out why and stop him from killing his clan._ _ _ _ _ _

______Itachi locked eyes with her eventually getting sick of the silence. She smiled at him once he finally looked at her before speaking_ _ _ _ _ _

______"Itachi, the rules may be a little much but I'm not going to complain. You are being kind to me by letting me stay in your home free of charge. Sure I will be helping your mother but I have no money to offer you. You are giving me a warm place to sleep and eat. For that I'm thankful. I will take these rules and obey them. I am only worried I will become a burden to you because you're stuck with me all the time." She said. His lips thinned into a firm line_ _ _ _ _ _

______"You need clothes." He said suddenly turning around. Sakura blinked slightly confused with the sudden topic change. She glanced down at the ruffled and wrinkled clothes Shisui had lent her. They hung around her body making her look smaller than she was._ _ _ _ _ _

______"Um, okay?" she mumbled still taken aback by the abrupt change in conversation_ _ _ _ _ _

______"I'll get mother and we'll go shopping." He said pausing at the doorway "Oh right, you have to come with me." He said with a frown as if just remembering the rules. Sakura nodded and followed behind him._ _ _ _ _ _

______000_ _ _ _ _ _

______Two hours later Sakura found herself desperately trying to keep up as Mikoto dragged her into the fourth clothing shop of the day. With a small glance back she saw Itachi calmly walk in behind them carrying about five bags on his arms looking bored._ _ _ _ _ _

______"Mrs. Uchiha…"Sakura mumbled_ _ _ _ _ _

______"Mikoto, dear." She interrupted distractedly_ _ _ _ _ _

______"Mikoto." Sakura said with a small sigh "I'm okay for clothes now, really you have bought far too much for me."_ _ _ _ _ _

______"Oh hush, let me have my fun. I am stuck with men in my house all the time, I've never had a girl to shop for." She said the excitement clear in her eyes and Sakura didn't have the heart to argue with her._ _ _ _ _ _

______"Just humour her." Itachi advised from behind them. With an inward sigh Sakura decided to go with it._ _ _ _ _ _

______"Besides, we still have to go bra and panty shopping!" Mikoto said happily. Sakura's faced turned red and dread pooled in her stomach at how excited Mikoto seemed to be about that. Her mind wouldn't let her stray far from the knowledge that Itachi would know what every single pair of her underwear would look like._ _ _ _ _ _

______"Here we go." Mikoto said coming up to a display of all kinds of panties. She picked up a pale purple, lacy pair. "I have the same pair. They are so comfortable." She said with a smile before leaning close and whispering "Fugaku loves them." She murmured with a wink. Sakura's cheeks flamed and there was a soft groan behind them._ _ _ _ _ _

______"Kaa-san!" Itachi almost whined._ _ _ _ _ _

______"Oh please, Itachi. It's not like you don't know what your father and I do. You're here aren't you?" She asks raising a delicate brow at her eldest. Itachi frowned_ _ _ _ _ _

______"I don't need to hear about it." He grumbled._ _ _ _ _ _

______Another thing Sakura had noticed was that Itachi was more carefree when he was around family, or particularly Mikoto and Shisui. She was interested in seeing him around Sasuke. Anyone else though, he was more closed off and professional; not letting you see much._ _ _ _ _ _

______"Do you like these Itachi?" Mikoto asked holding up a pale blue garment with a tiny pink bow on the front. Itachi's dark eyes narrowed._ _ _ _ _ _

______"I don't understand why my opinion matters here." He said_ _ _ _ _ _

______"Yes or no, Itachi?" Mikoto prodded further. There was a small sigh_ _ _ _ _ _

______"Sure." He muttered. Sakura didn't miss the light, barely there blush that dusted the tops of his cheeks before he looked away and trailed off to look at a display a few feet away. Itachi? Blushing? Sakura never thought she would see the day. Mikoto tossed a few more pairs of panties over her arm and after getting Sakura's quick approval, she proceeded to the back of the shop to look at bras._ _ _ _ _ _

______0000_ _ _ _ _ _

______"Nii-san! Kaa-san!" a small black haired child bounded toward the front door when Itachi and Sakura walked in followed by Mikoto. Sakura held back her small gasp as little Sasuke bounded past her to greet his big brother and mom. Sakura had forgotten how cute Sasuke was._ _ _ _ _ _

______"Who is she?" Sasuke asked finally as he watched Itachi carry the six bags of clothes into the living room and dropping them there._ _ _ _ _ _

______"This is Sakura, Sasuke." He paused as Sakura bent down to Sasuke's level and smiled at him "She will be staying with us for a while." He explained._ _ _ _ _ _

______"Hello Sasuke." Sakura greeted still smiling warmly._ _ _ _ _ _

______"Hi." He answered almost shyly._ _ _ _ _ _

______"Let's bring these bags upstairs." Itachi suggested before grabbing them all again and making his way toward the staircase. Sakura didn't miss the long stare Fugaku was giving her from his spot on the couch, it made Sakura nervous and she easily caught up to Itachi as he ascended the steps._ _ _ _ _ _

______Itachi sat on his bed and watched as Sakura put away her new clothes on a small shelf he had cleared for her use, in his closet._ _ _ _ _ _

______"So, who is going to watch me when you're on a mission?" Sakura asked curiously, piercing the silence that had blanketed the room. She heard Itachi shuffle slightly on his bed before answering her_ _ _ _ _ _

______"More than likely Tsukino."_ _ _ _ _ _

______"Tsukino?"_ _ _ _ _ _

______"Tsuki for short. He's my summoning animal." Itachi explained easily._ _ _ _ _ _

______"What kind of animal?" she paused "Will he fit in the house?" she asked with a small laugh as she pictured Naruto's giant toad._ _ _ _ _ _

______"He's a crow, but he's the size of a raven. So yes, he will." He said seriously. Sakura frowned, great she would have a crow perched on her shoulder all the time._ _ _ _ _ _

______The opening of Itachi's bedroom door made the two of them look over. Mikoto poked her head in and smiled at them._ _ _ _ _ _

______"Dinner will be ready in five minutes." She said before leaving and shutting the door. Itachi got up from his spot on the bed._ _ _ _ _ _

______"We will get your bed ready after dinner." He said walking forward toward the door. "Are you ready?" he asked. Sakura nodded_ _ _ _ _ _

______"Yes, I just have to change." She said pulling at the same baggy clothes she had been wearing for almost a day and a half now._ _ _ _ _ _

______"I'll be waiting outside." He said before exiting and closing the door._ _ _ _ _ _

______Sakura quickly threw on a plain, red shirt and dark blue Capri pants. She sighed, getting used to civilian clothing wouldn't be easy. She decided to keep her chest bound instead of using one of the new bras for now. After deeming herself good enough she opened the door and joined Itachi in the hall._ _ _ _ _ _

______As they made their way downstairs Sakura tried to squash down the nerves swirling in her stomach. This was probably going to be one awkward dinner._ _ _ _ _ _


	6. Friends and Nightmares

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE keep in mind there is a 3 week time skip at the beginning of this chapter! :)

3 weeks later.

Sakura sat on the opposite side of the couch as Sasuke; watching him. Tsuki was perched on her shoulder lazily. This wasn't the first time Tsuki was stuck with her. He had been watching her for quite a few times now. Sakura couldn't help but let her mind wander to their first meeting.

***Flashback Starts***

_"This is Tsukino." Itachi said shortly before glancing at the large black bird perched quietly on the footboard of his bed. Sakura looked at the animal and took in its appearance. Tsuki was all black, his feather's had an almost glossy shine to them and his two eyes were small, beady and as dark as the rest of his body. He currently had his head cocked to one side as he also took in Sakura's appearance as she sat cross-legged on her bed on the floor._

_"Is he nice?" Sakura found herself asking while narrowing her eyes at the crow. If it wasn't a serious question Sakura would have laughed at the way Tsuki narrowed his own eyes at her in response while ducking his head slightly._

_"Yes, if you're nice to him."_

_"Does he know he will have to follow me around everywhere?" Sakura asked again not taking her eyes off of the animal._

_"Of course, he knows what's expected of him." Itachi answered before looking at Tsuki. "You can go now. I just wanted you two to meet." Tsukino looked over at Itachi, nodding his small head once before disappearing back to where he came from. Sakura wasn't so sure she would get along with Tsuki but she had little choice in the matter._

***Flashback Ends***

Sakura noticed the pout on Sasuke's face which had been there the majority of the evening. She knew what he was upset about. Itachi wasn't back from his day long mission, and he had told Sasuke he would help him with his academy homework, but it was getting late and Sasuke would be going to bed soon.

"Sasuke, have you finished your homework?" Mikoto's voice floated through the kitchen door and into the living room. Sasuke's pout deepened at his mother's question.

"No, I'm waiting for Itachi-nii to help me."

"Well your brother isn't here so you need to get it done." She admonished lightly, knowing full well her youngest was upset.

"How about I help you, Sasuke?" Sakura asked kindly, her voice making Tsuki perk up on her shoulder, his feathers ruffling slightly.

"Really?" Sasuke asked his eyes widening a little.

"Yea, how about it? Just for tonight. I'm sure your brother is trying his hardest to get back here but sometimes with missions there are delays." She explained. Sasuke looked thoughtful for a moment before nodding his acceptance. With a smile Sakura watched as he dashed up to his room to get his homework before returning and sitting down on the floor next to Sakura.

Sakura resisted and eye roll when Fugaku came out of nowhere and sat on the couch to 'observe' no doubt thinking Sakura wasn't capable of helping Sasuke.

"Would you two like some snacks?" Mikoto asked from in the kitchen still.

"Yes please, Kaa-san." Sasuke replied happily. Sakura smiled and began helping Sasuke with the work. After Mikoto returned with their snack of crackers and cheese Sakura felt a tiny pinch on her left ear lobe. She glanced over at Tsuki with an annoyed expression.

"Did you just bite me?" she asked incredulous. Sakura found it seriously annoying that the bird couldn't talk. As an answer to her question he nodded before jerking his head toward the plate of crackers. Sakura rolled her eyes before grabbing a cracker and holding it up for him to eat. He ate it very messily and got crumbs all over Sakura's shoulder as well as the floor. Fugaku grumbled to himself annoyed at the mess but Sakura decided to ignore it and went to work helping Sasuke answer a question.

Every once in a while she would feel another ear pinch and she would grab another cracker for Tsuki.

"The bird is getting crumbs everywhere." Fugaku finally snapped. Sakura barely contained a snort of laughter when Tsuki turned his beady eyed glare at the Clan leader in annoyance. Fugaku scoffed at the look before grumbling something along the lines of _'Itachi needs to pick a better bird.'_

"I apologize, Uchiha-sama. I will clean up the crumbs when Sasuke's homework is finished." Sakura said not taking her eyes off the scribbling of Sasuke's pencil.

"Hn." Was the only response she got from the uptight man. As an almost reward for the glare he shot at Fugaku Sakura gave Tsuki another cracker.

About a half hour in Sakura began to think back on the day Sasuke was entered into the academy. He was so happy but the conversation Itachi, Sasuke and her had after the ceremony, had Sakura looking at Fugaku out of the corner of her eye curiously.

***Flashback Starts***

_"Are you happy to finally be in the Academy Sasuke?" Sakura asked warmly as the young boy bit into one of the rice balls on his plate. He nodded with a smile on his face. The three of them were in the Uchiha household giving Sasuke his favourite lunch in a way to celebrate his entrance into the Academy._

_Itachi came up beside Sakura and slid a plate full of cut up tomatoes across the table to settle beside Sasuke. Itachi paused and picked up a piece of tomato before he popped it into his mouth._

_"Want one?" He asked Sakura once he had chewed and swallowed his piece. She shook her head before looking back at Sasuke._

_"I'm very happy to be in the academy. Now I can train to be just like Itachi-nii." Sasuke said with a huge smile on his face. It was odd to see Sasuke so happy, carefree and so…childlike. She was so used to the broody and unhappy Sasuke that this innocent boy made her happy. She just hoped by completing this mission, he would stay happy and open like this forever._

_Sakura glanced up at Itachi, not missing the way a small frown curved his lips at Sasuke's answer, right before he left her side to sit next to his brother._

_"Otouto, you can look up to me as a role model but I want you to be your own person. Don't try to be me." He said as Sasuke finished chewing the tomato in his mouth._

_"But tou-san is so proud of you. He always pays attention to you and I want him to pay attention to me too. So I want to be just like you." Sasuke argued with a small frown of his own. "He doesn't care about me." Sasuke said his voice going lower. Sakura felt a pang of sympathy for him right then. She was sure that Fugaku cared about Sasuke he just had a crappy way of showing it, but she could be wrong too, as is she had only just met the man._

_"Sasuke." Itachi said sadly before ruffling his little brother's dark locks "Father cares about you." He assured._

_"Hn." Sasuke pouted not looking like he believed Itachi in the slightest. Itachi frowned again but decided to drop it. Neither he nor Sakura wanted to ruin this day for Sasuke._

_"How about when you're done eating we go out and you can help me practise my shuriken training?" Itachi asked his voice a little happier. Sasuke's dark expression lightened immediately as he nodded before taking another huge bite of his food, suddenly in a hurry to finish eating so they could go._

***Flashback ends***

Sakura knew by just how carefully he was watching the two of them work on homework he had to of cared about Sasuke at least a little, he wanted his son to succeed right? Sakura inwardly sighed, she would have to pay more attention to Fugaku from now on if she wanted the answer to that question.

Two weeks had passed and still Sakura knew little about the clan and how it worked. Her research part of her mission was lacking and it frustrated her. Then again she had to keep in mind she was under twenty four hour surveillance and had no time to get away. Not to mention the fact that the massacre didn't happen for another five and a half months and a lot can happen within that time. She hoped she would be able to figure out Itachi's motives. She would like to think her an Itachi were becoming friends or at least close to friends which hopefully would make seeing a change in him easier. Itachi seemed a little more relaxed around her now but of course still hesitant. She figured that's the way he will always be, friends or not.

Sakura just couldn't wrap her head around just how different Itachi was. The way he was around Sasuke was shocking to say the least. The love he had for his little brother was insane, which yet again begs the question as to why he did what he did. Why did he kill everyone?

"Sakura?" Sasuke said his little brow furrowed.

"Yes?"

"What about this one?" he asked pointing to another question. Sakura shook her head to clear it before returning to the task at hand.

000

After Sasuke's homework was finished Mikoto sent him upstairs to take his bath and then got him into bed. Before he disappeared into his bedroom he thanked Sakura for helping him

"Can you help with my homework whenever Nii-san is away?" He asked sounding hopeful. Sakura smiled and nodded enthusiastically

"Of course if that's what you want." The little boy grinned before going into his bedroom. Yes she wanted her Sasuke to always stay so carefree and happy. With an inward smile she yet again felt like what she was set out to do was the right thing. It would benefit Sasuke and that's what she was here for.

000

A couple hours later after everyone but Sakura had gone to bed; Itachi stumbled through the front door looking exhausted. He was wearing regular leaf shinobi gear and not ANBU which clearly stated this was a regular mission. His dark black hair was windblown and looked to be coming out of its tie a little. He also seemed slightly out of breath.

"I'm so late! Did Sasuke get his homework done?" Itachi asked hopefully. He looked like he was feeling really guilty over not being there. Sakura nodded quickly.

"I helped him. We agreed that whenever you're away I'll be the one to help him with his homework." Sakura explained standing up from her spot on the couch. Tsuki swayed from one foot to the other on her shoulder. Itachi's eyes glanced over at the black crow before nodding once. The bird then disappeared leaving Sakura's shoulder feeling lighter than it did all night.

The relief on Itachi's face and the way his body had relaxed made Sakura feel good about helping Sasuke and in turn helping Itachi.

"Thank you." He said running his right hand through his slightly messy hair before he undid his leaf headband.

"It was my pleasure." Sakura said truthfully. "How did your mission go?"

"It was okay. Successful but as you can probably tell I'm late because there were a few complications." He admitted with slight annoyance in his voice. Sakura smiled.

"Would you like some tea before you go to bed?" she asked. His eyes widened slightly, not expecting her offer.

"Okay." He said sounding surprised "Yes, I would like that, thank you."

He decided he would go shower first while Sakura made the tea. He then returned less than a minute later almost forgetting Sakura couldn't be left without an escort. This arrangement was getting old fast and Sakura knew they both felt it but never tried to argue with Fugaku over it. It was a lost cause. So feeling a little guilty Sakura watched Itachi summon Tsuki back. The crow did not look pleased over it either.

000

Sakura woke with a start; eyes flying open before looking around the room. The room was still shrouded in darkness and Sakura guessed it was still the middle of the night. She was slightly confused as to what woke her because the room was silent. She could hear Itachi's slow steady breaths from her left and with a soft sigh she turned over on her side, closing her eyes and trying to go back to sleep. That's when she heard it; the slight hitch in Itachi's breathing followed by a gasp and a small whimper.

Confused Sakura froze, her eyes wide open as she stared blankly at the door to the bedroom. She listened intently as he began to shuffle around on his bed as if distressed.

"No." he murmured. Sakura tensed and sat up. She immediately looked over at Itachi. He wasn't awake and the light from the moon that filtered in through his window illuminated his sleeping face. Sakura noticed immediately it wasn't calm and smooth like you would expect from someone who is sleeping. No his face was scrunched up in what looked like pain. His brows were furrowed and his jaw was tense as he clenched and unclenched it over and over. His hand weakly clawed at his chest and his breathing began to pick up.

His breathing was border lining on hyperventilating and before Sakura knew what she was doing she stood from her bed mat.

"Please." He whimpered softly his face scrunching up even more. "Stop."

' _He's having a nightmare.'_ Sakura concluded as she watched him squirm around on his bed, tangling his limbs in the sheets. After being here a month she knew he had nightmares but they never seemed to be this bad. The skin on his face and chest glistened in the moonlight with sweat. Sakura took in his appearance starting from his pain stricken face. His dark, black bangs were plastered to his face, his eyes scrunched shut tightly and his lips trembling. His chest rose and fell rapidly with his accelerated breathing and his left hand that was clawing at his chest was now in a tight fist.

Sakura noticed just below his pectoral muscles on his upper abdomen there was a small pale scar, it wasn't long; maybe an inch. Sakura knew for it to scar like that it must have been deep and it stood out pretty well against his pale skin. Just as another strangled gasp came out of the man's mouth Sakura figured she would wake him up from the dream. She moved toward the bed and placed her hand lightly on his shoulder before giving it a small shake.

"Ita-." His eyes flew open and before Sakura knew what was going on Itachi was up and out of bed and had her pinned against the opposite wall of the bedroom. She gasped when she felt the cool edge of a kunai at her throat. The question of where the kunai came from flitted through the pinkette's mind but that was the least of her worries at the moment. Itachi's eyes were wild, his sharingan was activated and they bore into her frightened green ones. Everything happened so fast that the fear of the situation took a few seconds to settle in, but now Sakura's whole body hummed with it, the adrenaline coursing through her veins made her skin tingle. There was no doubt in her mind that at this very moment she was feeling every bit of fear this man previously instilled in her the day she first met him. He was in a spot right now where one flick of his wrist could end her life. Her breathing was surprisingly calm although maybe a touch faster than usual.

"Itachi." She said trying not to concentrate on the feeling of the sharp blade scraping against the sensitive skin of her neck as she spoke. "It's Sakura, I'm not a threat." She said her voice surprisingly soft. Her voice made him pause. His breathing was still slightly erratic but Sakura could see the memory of his nightmare slowly dissipate from his eyes, his sharingan faded and he looked shocked. Immediately he let her go, removing the kunai from her neck and letting it clatter to floor noisily. Sakura felt a small splash of relief.

The adrenaline spike began to die down leaving her arms and legs jittery, she knew she was shaking. Her knees gave out on her and she slid to floor breathing heavily as she tried to get her heart back to beating at a regular pace. She looked up to see Itachi staggering back away from her before dropping to his knees on her bed mat. His eyes looked haunted and he looked…almost scared. The expression shocked her, she never thought she would see such an expression on him. His breathing remained heavy as if he was still stuck in the remnants of his dream.

"I'm sorry." Itachi mumbled placing his shaking hands over his face. Sakura gulped and was relieved when she felt herself began to calm. She watched Itachi carefully as his body shook. She was grateful to see that his breathing was beginning to slow and she decided to answer his apology.

"It's" she paused swallowing "It's okay Itachi." She said cursing her voice as it was slightly shaky.

"It's not okay, I shouldn't have done that." he said not removing his hands from his face. His voice sounded sad and it made her frown. Sakura realized he was feeling shameful of his behavior. It made her curious as to what his dream was about and why it made him react so violently.

"I should have known better. I shouldn't have woken you up. I knew you were having a nightmare and I should have left it alone." There was a small sigh as she watched him move his hands to rest on the top of his thighs. His breathing slowly came under control again and he had stopped shaking. On the outside he looked completely calm again. The way his head was still bowed however Sakura knew he wasn't completely normal again. Sakura let out a small sigh of relief at the realization they were somewhat out of the danger zone.

"Just accept my apology, please? This won't happen again, you're safe here and I don't want you to think you're not." He said refusing to look at her. Sakura frowned

"Apology accepted. Itachi you're an ANBU member, you're bound to get nightmares and sometimes they cause you to lash out, it's normal. Don't feel guilty." Sakura said trying to be reassuring. It seemed to have the opposite affect though because the Uchiha in front of her visibly stiffened. "I'm okay, you didn't hurt me." Sakura added as an afterthought.

His body relaxed again; she had said the right thing this time. Sakura briefly wondered why in the hell she was feeling so sorry for Itachi right now, he almost killed her not even five minutes ago. Although now she considered him somewhat of a friend. No she was never in ANBU she didn't know of the true horrors that happened during missions but she could imagine they weren't pleasant. She knew Kakashi-sensei had his own demons from the past and she couldn't bring herself to be angry at Itachi for what just happened. It wouldn't be right.

Slowly Itachi stood and approached Sakura who was still sitting on the floor. Her eyes widened when he leant her his hand to help her stand up. Hesitantly she grasped it and let him tug her up and off the floor. He looked at her for a moment before releasing her hand.

"How about a drink of water?" He asked. Sakura managed an enthusiastic nod and followed him out of the room. She knew this conversation was over and it was doubtful they would ever talk about it again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the Kudos everyone! Here is five more chapters!~:D


	7. It Speaks!

Sakura at times found herself worrying over how many missions Itachi went on. He was clearly overworked and being around him as much as she was, she noticed the fatigue he so desperately tried to mask in front of people. That level of tiredness, however, wasn't something you could hide 24/7. And well when he wasn't on a mission, Sakura was with him. You would think being around one another so much you would get sick of the other's company, but to Sakura's surprise Itachi's company had the opposite effect on her.

She had officially been here one month and six days. The time flew by. She still hadn't been able to find out any information on what she was supposed to but she also had come to realize she wasn't in any rush. This shocked Sakura because she figured she would want to get everything over with as quickly as possible but it wasn't like that. Sakura found herself enjoying her time spent with the Uchiha's. Shisui always knew how to make her smile and laugh, Mikoto was so sweet and loving, Sasuke was always so cheerful and carefree; his only worry was gaining his father's approval and Itachi was…well he was so different than what she expected.

She could honestly say she enjoyed being around him now and much to her surprise she realized just recently she kind of missed his presence while he was away on missions. Unfortunately though, she found herself in the company of Tsuki more often than Itachi as of late. The question as to why she felt annoyed wasn't something she knew the answer to besides the fact that Tsuki was dull and boring. Itachi may not be a man of many words but he at least spoke a small amount.

Yet again she found herself sitting in the living room alone with Tsuki on her shoulder looking bored. If she was being honest he looked like he was asleep.

"Pfft. Some guard bird you are." She grumbled lowly and noticed with more annoyance that he remained relaxed, his eyes closed. The bastard was still asleep. Sakura was contemplating throwing the offending animal off her shoulder to give him a rude awakening when Mikoto descended the stairs to Sakura's left and affectively interrupted her thoughts.

_'Lucky bird.'_ Sakura thought sneeringly.

"Ah Sakura. What are you up to?" Mikoto asked kindly before sitting down across from her on the small lounge chair there.

"Hm? Not too much, Tsuki over here was just talking my ear off didn't you hear?" Sakura asked sarcastically, jerking her shoulder around again. Mikoto laughed, her voice a nice touch to the otherwise silent room. Sakura decided naptime was over and not so lightly poked Tsuki in the side of the head. His reaction was instant and he turned his head quickly before clamping down on Sakura's finger with his sharp beak. The pinkette yelped and yanked her finger away from him with a deep glare set on her face.

"What is with you and biting me?" she asked annoyed. Tsuki rolled his eyes…yes, rolled his eyes. Sakura shook her head before saying "You fell asleep on the job." She grumbled.

"As long as Fugaku isn't around it's not an issue." Mikoto said her tone relaxed. Sakura's eyes widened slightly

"But what about the rules?"

"I don't particularly agree with the rules, Sakura." Mikoto admitted. "My husband is a very protective man when it comes to his family and clan members. The majority of the time I like that about him. But I don't agree with how far he has gone with these rules. I wouldn't be surprised if you feel like a prisoner." She grumbled lowly. Sakura hadn't expected Mikoto to feel this way about all this at all. Sakura thought she was with her husband in his decisions about the escort. "Also I am trying to get him to let up a little. I'd like you to have a little freedom to go and spend some time with yourself.

"That…would be nice." Sakura found herself agreeing "Although, that being said, I honestly don't mind spending time with Itachi." She said with a small laugh and shrug of her shoulders. She felt Tsuki flex his feet in an attempt to stay on her shoulder with the movement. Suddenly Mikoto stood up.

"That's nice to hear." She said with a smile. "I have a few important errands to run, if I gave you a grocery list would you go out and get everything we need?" She asked walking toward the kitchen. Sakura stood and followed her

"Yea sure." She agreed easily.

Sakura walked out of the door looking down at the list of food she needed to get and ran right into someone.

"Sorry." She said immediately before she looked up hoping to kami it wasn't Fugaku. A sigh of relief found its way out of her when she looked up into the grinning face of Shisui.

"Hello. Where are you off too?" Shisui asked once Sakura had taken a step back.

"Grocery shopping." She said waving the list in the air before folding it and slipping it into her pocket. Tsuki was silent as ever peering at Shisui for a minute before getting bored and looking elsewhere. "Would you like to come with me?" Sakura found herself asking with a raised eyebrow.

"Eh, sure why not? I was coming to visit you guys anyways." Shisui said with a laugh before turning around and beginning to walk away. Sakura jogged to catch up to him as they walked through the compound, then out through the gates and into the rest of the village.

"Wait! Is Itachi back from his mission?" Sakura asked coming to a stop. Shisui was here and they were on the same team why didn't she put two and two together?

"No. I didn't go with Itachi this time. It's not an ANBU mission." Shisui explained as they began walking again

"So Kakashi-sen-"Sakura stopped herself before she called him sensei and would have to deal with Shisui's confusion. That isn't something she wanted to deal with right now. "-and Yamato aren't on missions right now either?" Shisui's eyebrows furrowed slightly.

"Yamato?" he asked confused.

"Yea the fourth guy on your team?" Sakura asked suddenly unsure, why didn't he recognize Yamato's name?

"Oh…that's not Yamato…who is Yamato?" he asked with a laugh before shaking his head and waving off his own question "Regardless they aren't officially on Itachi and I's ANBU squad. Taking out that group of rogue's was a special mission. They were put on our team for backup. It rarely happens though." He explained. Sakura nodded in understanding as they both arrived at the market.

Sakura whipped out the list and got to work gathering all the fruits, vegatables and meat that Mikoto had instructed her to get. With the help of Shisui the time it took to get all the food was cut in half and about twenty minutes later Sakura found herself getting the last item on the list; tomatoes and a lot of them.

"What is with this family and their obsession with tomatoes?" Sakura asked wrinkling her nose slightly. Shisui laughed

"Mostly it's Sasuke. That boy eats tomatoes like they are going out of style." He explained. "Although I believe everyone else enjoys them too, just not to that extent." Sakura shrugged before making sure she had everything she needed. She then went to pay for everything with the money Mikoto had given her.

The way home was quite amusing to say the least. Shisui was carrying one bag while Sakura carried the other. What was amusing was the way Shisui was teasing poor Tsukino.

"Who's a pretty bird?" he sang, in a voice usually used for babies, right in the poor birds face. Sakura stifled her small laughs with the back of her hand as Tsuki continued to look more and more miserable the longer Shisui spoke.

"You're so cute!" Shisui said with a small laugh before stroking the crow's head lightly "I could just eat you up!" Sakura couldn't hold back the laugh when she glanced at Tsuki's horrified expression. If someone had told her a little over a month ago that a bird could have so many different expressions she would have told them they were nuts. Now though she knew firsthand how expressive a bird could be. The teasing and baby talk went on for another three minutes before Sakura spoke.

"Awe, Tsuki. Would you like me to get this weird man away from you?" She asked giggling softly.

"Oh Kami, yes please! If you don't I might have to eliminate him right here!"

It took a moment before Sakura realized that voice had come from the bird perched on her shoulder. Completely startled she shrieked and dropped the bag of groceries. Also startled by her outburst; Tsuki flapped his wings and removed himself from Sakura, narrowly missing getting smacked by one of her flailing arms. The frightened pinkette whirled around and gaped in shock at Tsuki who had moved himself to stand on Shisui's head. The dark haired man standing in front of Sakura had an amused grin on his face.

"You speak!?" Sakura asked still completely shocked. She didn't miss the way the animal rolled his beady eyes in what seemed like exasperation.

"Tell me, Sa-kur-a. When have you ever come across a summon animal who couldn't speak?" He asked sounding annoyed.

"Don't be such a jerk, if you could speak this whole time, then why haven't you?" Sakura countered feeling her irritation rising. Shisui remained silent opting to watch the two speak to each other while he held onto the one grocery bag in his arms.

"I don't see a point." He answered shortly. Sakura gritted her teeth

"Why not?" she asked. She didn't quite know why Tsuki had the ability to make her this irritated but he had a knack for it…he was so infuriating.

"I've never been much of a talker." He explained "I only speak when I deem it necessary. Besides I don't think you are worth my precious breath."

Sakura glared at him before she grudgingly walked over to her toppled over grocery bag and put the items back in. she then picked it up and stomped her way toward the gates that led into the Uchiha compound. With a small laugh Shisui followed her, with Tsuki still standing on his head

"I knew you were a jerk but I didn't know you were a cocky self-centered one. I like you better when you don't speak." If a bird could grin Sakura knew the damn thing would be grinning.

"I do too." He said.

"Sorry for never telling you Sakura. It was quite a shock to me too when I first heard him talk." Shisui laughed.

That night dinner was once again pretty awkward for Sakura. Tsuki was still around but instead of on her shoulder like usual he was standing at the other side of the room. Sakura had pretty much let go of their little squabble earlier today but Fugaku refused to let the bird be near them while they ate. Sakura supposed she couldn't really blame the man as Tsuki had a bad habit of demanding small morsels of food from her while everyone ate.

As usual Fugaku  
didn't really make a point of including Sakura in conversations although the pinkette could tell he didn't hate her as much as he did a month ago. She had noticed a miniscule change in his behavior toward her, but she wasn't keeping her hopes up about it changing much more for her remaining time here. With a sigh, Sakura took it upon herself to break the slightly awkward silence

"How was class today, Sasuke?" Sakura asked taking a bite of her food while she waited for his reply. He swallowed down the bit of rice he had in his mouth before smiling up at her from her left. Sakura knew Sasuke could probably feel the tension radiating off of her and the boy was smart enough to know it was his father who made Sakura feel this way, the smile he shot her seemed kind of reassuring in a way and it made Sakura mirror it with her own smile.

"It was great!" He said enthusiastically "Kurenai-sensei taught us…" Sakura listened attentively to Sasuke as he told her all about what he learned today and even what he would probably learn tomorrow. Only when he had finished and had shovelled a large amount of food into his mouth did Sakura look up toward the opposite side of the table where Fugaku and Mikoto sat. Mikoto had a warm smile on her face as she looked at Sasuke but as Sakura glanced at the man directly in front of her, her happy mood plummeted yet again.

Fugaku looked indifferent as always and Sakura had to wonder if he had even listened to Sasuke's excited recollection of his lessons today. Sasuke seemed to notice as well because his enthusiastic mood dampened slightly which made Sakura frown. She watched as Fugaku looked down at his plate and she immediately felt a light jab in her side.

She looked over in time to see Sasuke giving her a goofy facial expression. He had taken both his pointer fingers hooking them into the sides of his mouth and stretching his lips while sticking his tongue out. His eyes were crossed and he was shaking his head back and forth. It took all of Sakura's will power not to burst out laughing. She knew what he was doing, he was trying to cheer her up. Meanwhile in reality he was the one who needed the cheering up.

The second Fugaku looked up again Sasuke was back to normal and eating his dinner. The older man narrowed his eyes at the way Mikoto tried to hide her grin of amusement. Sakura was probably doing a horrible job of hiding her own entertainment at Sasuke's display but she couldn't bring herself to care too much. So it was no surprise that when Fugaku looked down again, Sasuke shot her another goofy look, but this time she shot one right back at him and the both had to hide their quiet snickers behind their hands. Sakura came to the conclusion that with the help of little Sasuke here these dinners might not be so bad anymore.

00

After dinner was done and Sakura had helped clean up the pinkette sat on the couch and absently scratched Tsuki on the head. Sure he was a jerk but he kept her company when Itachi wasn't around and she couldn't really _hate_ him completely.

"Sakura, Itachi-nii won't be back in time again. Will you help me with my work?" Sasuke asked hopefully as he approached her. Sakura grinned and nodded before they settled on the floor of the living room.

Fugaku had thankfully stopped hovering over the two when Sakura would help Sasuke about a week ago. It was a relief to Sakura that the man at least trusted her with teaching Sasuke the right way to do his homework. For Fugaku to even trust her with that was pretty big and Sakura didn't take the progress lightly. Sakura also found that Sasuke was needing the help less and less. He was generally able to do things on his own which made her proud of him.

As Mikoto took Sasuke upstairs to put him to bed Sakura found herself thankful to Tsunade for this opportunity. She would have never had the privilege to see Sasuke like this if it wasn't for her Master. She rather liked this Sasuke and seeing him being a child was something that motivated her that much more to stop the massacre from ever occurring.

After the rest of the household had gone to sleep Sakura took a quick shower before brushing her hair and teeth. She stared at herself in the mirror for a moment, her warm body only wrapped in a towel before she opened the bathroom door with a sigh. Itachi was supposed to be back sometime tonight and she figured she would be able to wait up for him but she was far more tired than she thought she would be after her shower.

Tsuki met her in the hall and with a few powerful flaps of his wings he perched himself in the usual place on her shoulder. Sakura winced slightly as his claws dug into her sensitive skin. She was used to there being a layer of clothing to cushion the sharp talons on his feet. She entered Itachi's bedroom and waited patiently for Tsuki to jump off her shoulder and take his other usual place on the footboard of the double bed in the room. After he was off Sakura flopped onto her back her body bouncing slightly as it hit the soft mattress of Itachi's bed. She closed her eyes once, she would rest for a few minutes before getting dressed.

00

The house was dark and quiet when Itachi returned. He wasn't sure how late it was but he knew it was in the early hours of the morning. He quietly made his way up to his bedroom before entering and closing the door behind him. He expected to see Sakura asleep in her bed but to his surprise she wasn't in her bed at all. She was actually asleep on _his_ bed and she was in nothing but a towel. Her body was lying across his mattress sideways so that her bare, smooth, legs were dangling off the side. The pale blue towel had ridden up to just above mid-thigh and Itachi found himself swallowing thickly at the sight.

He would be flat out lying to himself if he said he wasn't attracted to her. It was a foreign feeling to him because he wasn't used to feeling drawn to any one person. She was the first to elicit these feelings in him. To his utmost surprise he sort of, in a way, trusted her. He considered her a friend. She clearly cared about the people in his life. Sasuke liked her and she always helped him with his work when Itachi wasn't there. He admired her for it.

She didn't have to do these things but she seemed like she wanted to. It shocked Itachi yet pleased him at the same time. He just wished his father could see the same thing. Sakura was a girl who could be trusted, at least in his opinion she was. She had yet to prove him otherwise. Itachi shook his head free of his wandering thoughts before approaching a sleeping Tsuki balancing on his bedpost.

"Anything to report?" Itachi asked quietly after the bird was awake.

"No. Today was normal. Just like any other day." Tsuki grumbled. Itachi knew he wasn't the only one who was annoyed with these rules. As much as he liked spending time with Sakura, and yes, he did admit he enjoyed her company. It wasn't fair to ask Tsukino to watch over her all the time. The only reason he continued to ask his summon to do this was because Tsuki was better than having some random member of the clan that Sakura didn't know follow her around.

"I know, I'm sorry. I appreciate you doing this. You can go now."

"Yea, yea." Tsuki grumbled again. "Until next time." He finished before disappearing.

With a sigh Itachi quickly changed into a pair of sleep pants with no shirt before turning toward Sakura. She was fast asleep, her still wet, pastel pink hair formed perfectly around her head like a halo. He took in her calm peaceful face and the way her mouth hung open slightly, her chest rising and falling in rhythm with each breath she took.

Although, it didn't take him long to realize how tired he was from his mission and it put him into action. He effortlessly moved Sakura so she was lying on his bed the right way and he made sure her towel was covering her as best as it could. He then pulled up the blanket and placed it over her body so she would be warm. He watched with a smirk of satisfaction as she stirred in her sleep and burrowed deeper into the warm pillows and blankets before relaxing again.

After she was taken care of, Itachi brushed out his long dark hair before securing it back in its elastic. He decided he needed a shower in the morning as he was definitely too tired to take one now. He then settled into Sakura's bed covering himself in the blankets that smelled of her and quickly drifted off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How did you like the first glimpse into our beloved Itachi's mind? ;) :D Please comment :)


	8. Tickle Attack

Sakura's eyes fluttered open only to shut again quickly because of the bright light filtering in through the bedroom window. With her eyes still closed she turned over, burrowed her face into the pillow under her head and froze. The scent that clung to these pillows and the blanket currently wrapped around her was possibly the best smell she had ever encountered. This confused her because she knew it wasn't her own scent. It was so much better. She opened her eyes then and memories from the night before flooded back to her. She lifted the blanket and barely contained a groan, she had fallen asleep on Itachi's bed last night in nothing but a towel.

She glanced at the floor where her bed was and she saw Itachi sleeping contently, curled up on his side. His face was relaxed and the blanket only covered him from the waist down. Damn he was fit. Sakura couldn't stop the stupid grin that took over her expression as she drank in Itachi's appearance. After a moment though, the present situation caught up to her again and she sighed; her suspicions confirmed, Itachi had seen her in nothing but a towel and had even resituated her on his bed. The thought that he took care of her sent a small burst of warmth through her chest. He didn't have to do that he totally could have woken her up and asked her to move but he didn't. Sakura hadn't noticed the large smile that had split across her face. But soon the smile slipped and the embarrassment of him seeing her in a towel clouded everything else. She groaned softly and turned on her back; her arms were thrown over her eyes as she shook her head at herself.

' _You're such an idiot'_ she grumbled in her thoughts. After a moment of drowning in self-pity she removed her arms from her eyes and got out of bed. She was careful to keep the towel wrapped around her naked form as she tip-toed around Itachi to get to her clothes in the closet. After picking out a navy blue tank top and tight black shorts she hurried out of the room quietly and entered the bathroom that was across the hall from her.

She quickly got ready, getting dressed and brushing her teeth before throwing her short hair up into a small pony tail. As she exited the bathroom she contemplated waking Itachi up but instantly felt guilty at even thinking of doing it. She knew he was exhausted and who knows how late he ended up getting in last night. With a small sigh and a mini war inside her head she turned toward the stairs leading to the lower level of the house. Alarm bells were going off inside her at the thought of possibly getting caught alone. She couldn't hear much going on downstairs so she figured either the family had gone out or everyone was still sleeping. She would give Itachi an hour more to sleep before waking him up for his 'escort duty'. As she walked off the final step of the stair case she made her way into the kitchen.

Mikoto turned around to greet her only to have her face pale and a look of panic cross her features. She rushed over to the pinkette and not too lightly shoved her out of the kitchen.

"Why isn't Itachi with you!?" she whispered harshly before freezing in place as she felt her husband's presence directly behind them. Sakura looked up and cringed at the look of anger on the man's face.

' _Oh shit._ ' Sakura thought in a panic. Before she could say anything Fugaku's hard voice filled the tense silence making Mikoto grip Sakura's arm tightly as she waited for the outburst.

"Why the hell are you alone!?" He growled the rage pouring off of him in waves.

Sakura kept repeating to herself how so incredibly stupid she was. Why had she done this again? Oh right to give Itachi some extra time to sleep.

"I was trying to let Itachi sleep at least another hour…he got in late last night and has been exhausted lately I figure-" she was rudely cut off by another growl

"I don't care about that! I thought I made these rules clear Fuyuga Sakura!" Sakura blinked in mild confusion before she remembered her cover last name was Fuyuga still. She masked the confusion quickly before attempting to gather her scattered thoughts into a good reply but Fugaku wasn't finished. "These rules were the only reason I agreed to let you stay here. You've broken them and now I'm furious." Sakura bit back a sarcastic retort but her anger was beginning to simmer, dangerously close to boiling.

As his rant went on Sakura's anger had reached a boiling point, it had taken every ounce of self-control not to explode and yell and tell Fugaku what's what. She held back though because jeopardizing her place in this family could be damaging to her mission and she couldn't have that. Suddenly there was a warm hand on her shoulder and she knew immediately whose it was. Her body relaxed slightly at the knowledge that Itachi was here now.

Mikoto was here too but she hadn't really put up much of a fight against Fugaku and Sakura could only guess it was because it would be disrespectful to her husband if she openly fought against him in front of others. From the burning intensity in her eyes, though, Sakura knew he would get an earful when they were alone. After Itachi had arrived he quickly defused the situation and took partial blame for Sakura's mistake saying he should have paid more attention and should have noticed her leaving the room. Unfortunately even though his almost hour long rant was over Fugaku was still angry.

"Sakura lets go meet up with Shisui for a bit, would that be okay?" he asked her quietly. Sakura nodded enthusiastically wanting to get as far away from the elder Uchiha as she could so she could get a handle on her anger and not do something she regretted.

00

The three sat in the old abandoned training area on the outskirts of the compound in silence. Shisui was laying on his back with his eyes closed and Itachi was standing against one of the few trees in the area to their left. Sakura was still silently fuming over the incident this morning.

"Sakura, I can feel the anger rolling off of you. What happened?" Shisui asked from her side, his eyes still calmly closed.

"That….that ASSHOLE!" Sakura yelled slamming her fist lightly at the ground in frustration.

"Who, Itachi? Tell me something I don't know." Shisui grumbled. They both heard the annoyed 'Tch' coming from Itachi, Shisui smirked.

"No, not Itachi." She said letting her voice calm slightly.

"Then who?" Shisui prodded further. Itachi opted to stay silent as he watched.

"Fugaku." She said a slight snarl back in her voice. Shisui sat up then and looked at her; waiting for her to continue "Apparently leaving Itachi's room to let him sleep in on his day off was a big rule breaker." She paused standing up suddenly "I thought I would be nice and let his son sleep so I went down stairs without an 'escort' and Fugaku was there. He lost it and yelled and ranted at me for almost over an hour." She grumbled stomping her foot slight, she didn't care if she was being childish, she was mad dammit!

"Sounds like him." Shisui agreed watching her grumble some more and cross her arms over her chest. Suddenly her back straightened to an uncomfortable level and she began marching forward almost awkwardly. The two men watched her with a crease of confusion in their brow as her face took on a hard and annoyed expression. When she spoke next her voice was deep and gruff.

"I'm Uchiha Fugaku, I'm a badass and no one can mess with me! They will suffer the consequences of disobeying my stupid, unrealistic orders!" She grumbled. There was a loud guffaw of laughter from Shisui as he got up and watched her continue to march around. Oh this was rich.

"No, no." He said suddenly coming up beside her "He doesn't look like that." He said tipping her chin up slightly so her nose was in the air and he moved her other body parts, positioning them to better suit what she was trying to accomplish. "There much better." He said letting a few laughs through again.

She continued with her act only to stop when she saw Itachi. He looked weird. His lips were twitching and his shoulders looked like they were vibrating. It was very odd looking.

"What's wrong with him?" She asked jabbing her thumb at Itachi while looking at Shisui. The older man stopped chuckling long enough to look at his cousin.

"Oh. That what he looks like when he laughs." Shisui said with a smirk. Sakura's eyes popped and her mouth dropped open.

"But there isn't any sound coming out." She said confused.

"I don't know really, that's always how he's laughed."

At hearing their conversation Itachi had ceased his movement and there was a small scowl on his face. Suddenly full of confidence Sakura walked over to him and made eye contact. They stood there staring at each other before Sakura lifted her hands and began tickling his sides. The only reaction she got was a devious smirk and amusement dancing in his dark eyes. Annoyed that she wasn't getting a reaction she moved to his muscled abdomen

"Laugh like a real person dammit!" She said letting out a laugh of her own. His stomach muscles clenched but still she didn't get a reaction.

"Sakura." Shisui called from his spot in the grass. "Move down a bit. Just above his pant line." He said with a teasing grin. Itachi's eyes narrowed as he looked over Sakura's head toward his cousin. Sakura did as she was told and moved down, brushing the tips of her fingers lightly over the smooth skin underneath his shirt.

Itachi's eyes widened and he sucked in a gasp of breath before a rather loud snort came out of his nose followed by a short laugh and his shoulders shook like they were before only more violently this time. She felt the firm grip of his hands on her wrists as he pulled them away from his body. Sakura lost it and laughed at the expression on Itachi's face. Never before had she seen that type of reaction from him. She wasn't laughing hard enough to miss the mask of indifference he immediately put on his face again as she stepped back. Tears sprung to her eyes as she held her stomach, the muscles clenching tight with more laughter. Itachi cleared his throat and casually lent back onto the tree.

"Don't ever do that again." He said his voice even as if none of that happened. Sakura forced herself to calm down before she smiled at him. She had to admit even though it was brief she enjoyed the sound of his laughter. It was light and sweet, the way his eyes crinkled as he smiled was a nice change to his usual indifferent expression. Sure he had become more expressive around her lately but this was the first time she got to see his laugh.

She wasted no time in diving back in and attacking that same spot with her finger tips again; desperate to witness that reaction a second time. Itachi was quicker to react this time and he grabbed her and spun them around so her back was pressed against the tree and her wrists held above her head with one of his hands. They were suddenly really close to each other, their chests almost touching. There was an almost palpable current of something unknown humming through the space between them, which had not gone unnoticed by each of them. Sakura's breath hitched as she looked up into the dark eyes of the man in front of her waiting for his next move. For now Itachi decided to ignore the hum of whatever it was and with his free hand he assaulted her sides with his own tickle attack. She squealed loudly, the intense spell between them broken as she desperately tried to get out of the hold he had on her to no avail.

"Stop!" she gasped tears pouring down her face.

"I told you not to do that again." He growled playfully although still his facial expression didn't show the amusement that shone so clearly in his eyes.

"I know, I know, I'm sorry! Stop you're gonna make me pee my pants." She gasped more tears squeezing out of her eyes.

"Hn." He said before letting her go. Sakura swore she saw a small hint of a smile on his face but it was gone before she could tell for sure.

After Sakura's breathing had slowed and her eyes stopped watering she went back to join Shisui who had resumed sitting in his spot on the grass. She plopped down next to him and was surprised to see Itachi had followed her this time. He gracefully sat next to her as she turned to Shisui with a confused look on her face.

"How did you know about that ticklish spot on Itachi?" she asked curious. That wasn't exact a common spot and now that she thought about it, it was sort of an intimate spot to touch someone. How did Shisui find out about it?

"Mikoto divulged the sensitive information to me a couple years ago." Shisui said with a laugh and shake of his head. Sakura laughed when she heard Itachi mumble 'traitor' under his breath in annoyance.

"Awe it's okay 'Tachi!" Sakura teased "Your mother, Shisui and I are probably the only ones who know about it."

"Hn. That isn't a comforting thought." He said still looking annoyed but Sakura was beginning to be able to read his emotions through his eyes. They held amusement and a touch of something else she couldn't name as he looked at her. Sakura decided not to dwell on it now.

The rest of their afternoon was spent lazing in the sun and chatting about nothing important. The three were all laying down on their backs, eyes closed when out of nowhere

"Shisui-nii!"

"Shit!" Shisui cursed bolting upright when a girl who looked to be about fifteen hovered over him. Her long and curly black hair fell over her shoulder making a curtain around her head. Where the hell had she come from? Sakura hadn't even sensed her! "Akarui," Shisui sighed "How do you sneak up on me like that?" The girl smirked before straightening up and crossing her arms over her chest.

"Well Nii-san. I do have the greatest teacher of all." She said with a grin. Shisui puffed up with pride and Sakura knew he was the one to train her in that area.

"Oh Sakura. This is my little sister, Uchiha Akarui." He said standing. Sakura stood too and shook the younger woman's hand with a smile.

"Nice to meet you, Sakura." Akarui said kindly.

"So, Akarui, what brings you here?" Shisui asked after a moment.

"You promised to spar with me today." She responded eagerly. Shisui frowned and rubbed the back of his neck before speaking.

"Imouto, can't we push that to tomorrow?" he asked sounding sort of guilty. Akarui instantly frowned before an adorable pout surfaced on her face.

"But Shisui-nii, you promised." She drawled dramatically her eyes getting wide and glassy looking. Oh she was good, and judging by the way Shisui basically melted at her stare Sakura knew the girl knew what she was doing. She had her big brother wrapped tightly around her little finger.

"You're right I did." He caved moving toward her before wrapping his arm around her shoulders.

"Besides, you remember what day it is today right?" she asked. Sakura noticed immediately as both their moods suddenly plummeted and the pinkette's eye brows drew together in slight confusion. Akarui's voice suddenly sounded sad and even when Shisui spoke again his voice had taken on a more upset tone than before.

"Yea, Imouto. How could I forget?" he said with a frown before turning back to Itachi and Sakura. "See you both later." He said smiling, but the smile failed to reach his eyes.

Sakura turned to Itachi the moment the other two were out of sight.

"What is today?" she asked curiously. Itachi frowned

"Today is the 3rd year anniversary of their parent's death." He explained before beginning to walk in the direction of his house. Sakura jogged to catch up with him.

"That's horrible." Sakura murmured with a frown, suddenly feeling bad for Shisui and his sister. "How old is Akarui?" She found herself asking.

"Fifteen I believe." Itachi answered easily. Sakura nodded thoughtfully

"She is very good at being stealthy." Sakura pointed out after a few moments of silence as they continued to walk.

"Hn."

"That's not something I'm overly good at." She admitted a little sheepishly. She glanced at Itachi to see him looking at her thoughtfully.

"Maybe one day this week, we can work on that. Maybe I can help." He offered looking ahead again.

"Really?" Sakura asked shocked "I would really appreciate that!" She said truthfully. Itachi grinned.

"Besides, I've been wanting to spar with you for quite some time now." He admitted. Sakura grinned.

"That would be fun but I know you would totally kick my ass." She stated with a laugh. Itachi's lips twitched slightly as he looked down at her again.

As he looked at her, a small lock of hair escaped from behind her ear falling into her face. Itachi had to stop his almost automatic reaction to tuck it behind her ear again. Where did that come from? Itachi quickly looked away his brow furrowing slightly. What the hell was she doing to him?

"You can't be sure of that, I'm sure you're a talented Kunoichi."

"I suppose we shall see." She said frowning slightly. She knew she would have to hold back, showing her full strength would dig up questions Sakura couldn't answer yet. She shook her head to get rid of those thoughts and promised herself she would think it over later. She sidled up closer to Itachi nudging his side a little with a smirk on her face

"You know." She began as he turned his head to look at her "You should laugh more often." She said.

He frowned. "I'm actually surprised you got me to laugh at all today. The only two people to ever make me laugh are Shisui, and Sasuke occasionally." He admitted

"Psh, I cheated. Tickling the right place almost always works. I'm going to make it my mission to make you laugh for real without the use of anything physical." Sakura said in a determined tone. Itachi found himself smiling slightly. He would be looking forward to this little mission of hers. It could be interesting.

000

The rest of the night ended up being fairly uneventful. Sakura sat across from Sasuke as he drank in every word Itachi spoke to him while they finished up his academy work.

"Nii-san?"

"Yes Sasuke?"

"Can you train with me tomorrow?" he asked sounding hopeful. Itachi smiled, though Sakura could see the guilt in his eyes, she knew he was going to turn him down.

"I have important business to attend to tomorrow, Otouto." He said before poking the young boy's forehead with two fingers. "Maybe another time okay?" Sasuke frowned and rubbed at the spot where Itachi had poked him. He pouted looking sad

"Okay…" he said trailing off. Sakura frowned. Itachi looked up at Sakura once before glancing down at his little brother again. He leant down to whisper to Sasuke loud enough for Sakura to hear.

"Maybe if you ask Sakura to take you out she will." Itachi suggested. Sakura grinned when Sasuke looked thoughtful for a minute before looking over at the pinkette.

"Would you train with me?" he asked, wide eyed.

"I would love to." Sakura said smiling warmly.

"Told you." Itachi added with a small laugh. Sakura's stomach flipped, there it was again, that beautiful sound she knew she would grow to crave.

000

Both Itachi and Sakura lay in their respective beds, the silence in the room comfortable.

"I have meetings all day tomorrow." Itachi murmured breaking the calm in the room. Sakura assumed it was his reasoning for turning down Sasuke's request earlier.

"That's okay. I really don't mind spending time with Sasuke." She said truthfully.

"I'm assuming since he doesn't have to go to the academy tomorrow it will just be you and him with Tsuki for the day." He said again. Sakura nodded in the darkness

"Sounds good to me." She paused "Your father is actually going to let me stay alone with Sasuke?"

"He won't have much choice."

"I suppose. Don't worry I'll look out for him."

"I don't doubt it. You're good with him, I know he really likes you." Itachi said and she could hear the slight smile in his voice. "Thank you, for being here when I'm not." He said softly.

"I enjoy it." She admitted. There was a small sigh before Itachi spoke again.

"I'm going to be overly busy for the next week or so I think." He admitted.

"Oh why?" Sakura found herself asking curiously

"Clan related stuff. I will be taking over my father's position in the next couple of years, they are preparing me for it." He said although Sakura felt like he was leaving something big out of that statement. She brushed it off for now. "Sasuke will turn to you while I'm gone."

"That's okay. Although I'm hardly a good replacement, I know Sasuke would rather have me step in then no one at all." She said with a small laugh.

"Yea."

Silence fell over the room again and Sakura's eyes drooped with fatigue.

"Sakura?"

"Hm?" she answered sleepily.

"Goodnight." He said his voice soft again. Sakura smiled before answering

"Goodnight."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I very much enjoyed writing that tickle scene :3 I hope it was as cute as I thought it was xD


	9. Spars and Slip Ups

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE GIVE A HUGE SHOUT OUT TO MY GIRL Li-Chan for being such an awesome person and helping me so damn much with the spar scene in this chapter (she pretty much wrote the entire scene)honestly give her a cyber-high-five

Sasuke stared, his eyes narrowed. Sakura looked back at him raising one pink eyebrow in question at the determined look on his face.

"Sasuke what is it?" Sakura asked finally giving up on the silent staring contest they were having.

"You look familiar." He said sounding slightly confused yet interested at the same time.

"Well I have been living with you guys for over a month now…" Sakura said trailing off unsure of what he was talking about.

"No not that." He said crossing his arms over his chest "You look like a girl in my class." Sakura's blood ran cold. Oh no, he recognized her younger self. Tsuki who was perched on Sakura's shoulder moved his wings slightly, mildly interested in the conversation.

"Really?" She asked hesitantly.

"Yea she has pink hair and green eyes just like you. But, she is annoying and you're not annoying." Sakura couldn't help but smirk. She wasn't proud of her younger self that was for sure. She knew now how annoying she had been and she regretted everything she put Sasuke through. With a sigh Sakura asked the question she hoped she liked the answer to.

"What's her name?"

"I don't know, I don't pay enough attention to the girls in my class, they're all annoying." Sasuke grumbled before jumping off his seat on the couch, clearly no longer interested in talking about the Sakura look-a-like. The pinkette breathed a sigh of relief but made a mental note to watch Sasuke closely and make sure he didn't put any more interesting facts together about the two identical girls in his life. Tsuki relaxed slightly too, once again bored with his surroundings.

000

The two of them sat at the end of the dock looking out into the pond of water in front of them. Sasuke was relatively silent so Sakura spoke.

"So was the shuriken training with me worth it, Sasuke?" Sakura asked with a smirk. Sasuke nodded before frowning.

"I wish you knew the fire ball jutsu, though." He said. Sakura shook her head

"Why? You have your brother and father to help you with that." She said watching his expression drop. A look of sadness took over his eyes.

"Nii-san is never around anymore and Father expects me to be as good as Itachi but I can't seem to get it right away. It's only a tiny flame, tou-san is disappointed in me."

"Awe, Sasuke that's probably not true." Sakura tried to assure him, even though part of her knew Sasuke was probably telling the truth. As she waited her his reply Sakura glanced over at her left shoulder confirming Tsuki was yet again asleep on the job. The pinkette rolled her eyes but turned her attention back to Sasuke as he spoke.

"I tried to show him that I could do it. After I failed, all he did was turn around and walk away. He said he should have known I wouldn't be as good as Itachi-nii." Sasuke said his head bowed slightly. A flash of anger snapped through Sakura, how could Fugaku do that to his son?! Parents were supposed to guide their children, not put them down and make them feel weak. Sakura wondered if Itachi knew about this and if he did how does he feel about it?

"How about you show me the jutsu?" Sakura asked trying to bring the boy out of his upsetting thoughts.

"No. It's embarrassing." He said frowning as he shook his head.

"Sasuke, you can never get better unless you practice right? Just keep working at it, we all start somewhere." She paused "I'm not too sure how fast your brother learned it but I'm sure it wasn't something he mastered overnight." Sasuke looked up at her for a minute. The young boy sighed before standing

"Fine." He said before taking a deep breath, a look of concentration on his face. She watched him while he weaved the necessary hand signs. He took a deep breath and let it out in a rush. Sakura felt the heat of the flame on her face. Tsuki awoke to the unexpected sensation and ruffled his feathers in annoyance for being woken up. Sakura observed that yes compared to the fireball jutsu she had witnessed him preform before this flame was significantly smaller. But knowing what she did about the future she knew he mastered it at some point.

After the flame had disappeared Sasuke glanced down at the pinkette half expecting to see disappointment on her face. To his shock she was smiling softly.

"That wasn't bad, Sasuke." She assured "With more practice and dedication you will have it mastered in no time I know it. Then you can show your father and blow his mind!" Sasuke felt the corners of his lips turn up in a small smile at her praise. She was right. He just needed to practise. Suddenly the small raven haired boy was excited to master the jutsu as quickly as possible. His father would have no choice but to be proud of him then right? Right! He could do this.

Sakura and Sasuke remained by the water for about an hour more while Sasuke continued to practice. Sakura tried to give him pointers about whatever she could but she had to admit she knew very little about the fire style jutsus. After that hour Sakura could tell the boy was getting tired and suggested they head home to eat something.

000

Itachi was stressed. Sakura knew it the moment the man walked through the door that night. His eyes looked more tired than usual and he had a line in between his eye brows as if he had been furrowing them together all day. His body was so tense it was obvious and Sakura's fingers itched to dig into the hard muscles of his shoulders in an attempt to relieve the stiffness there. Mikoto and Fugaku had yet to return so Sakura had made dinner for Sasuke and herself, she made a little extra for whomever wanted it once they were home.

"Are you okay?" She found herself asking as Itachi walked further into the room. She stood from her spot on the couch and approached him, laying a soft hand on his bicep. He glanced down at his arm where her thumb was rubbing a small circle against his skin before looking at her and running his other hand threw his hair with a sigh.

"Yea, I'm fine." He answered unconvincingly, but his body seemed to be slightly less tense than it was a moment ago.

"I made dinner, there are leftover rice balls in the kitchen if you want some?" She offered removing her hand from his arm. He nodded before moving toward the kitchen. "It's okay, go sit in the tea room and I'll bring it out for you." Sakura said before she rushed past him and placed a kettle full of water on the stove before preparing the food for him on a plate. Tsuki had left her shoulder, presumably to return to Itachi. She waited for the water to boil before letting the jasmine tea seep into it causing a nice aroma to fill the air.

She grabbed the tea pot, a cup and the plate of rice balls before moving out into the tea room. When she entered Itachi didn't even glance up at her. He was staring intently out the two large windows that looked out into the garden at the back of the house. He seemed lost in thought, but the clunk of the tea pot and plate on the table made him look back at her. She sat cross-legged on the other side of the table from him. Tsuki was nowhere to be found so she assumed he had left.

"I'm here to listen if you want to talk about it." Sakura's soft voice filled the silence as Itachi took a sip of the tea. He smirked.

"I'm fine, Sakura." He said with a small smirk. "You don't have to worry about me." He added.

"I'm-"She paused swallowing, was she worrying about him? Yes she was. "I'm not worrying about you." She lied.

"You're a horrible liar." He said with another smirk before taking a bite of the food on his plate. "Besides, even if I wanted to talk about it I can't, top secret clan stuff." He grumbled.

"Okay." Sakura cursed in her head at her luck. At this rate she would never figure out anything involving the clan. Everyone was going to be overly tight lipped about it. But why? What were they hiding?

Sakura was so lost her in thoughts she didn't hear Itachi calling her name before his hand came in contact with her arm making her glance up at his now concerned eyes.

"Sakura, are _you_ okay?" He asked raising an eyebrow. Sakura flushed before speaking

"Yes, sorry I was off in my own little world, did you say something?"

"I asked where my brother is." He answered

"Sleeping." Sakura laughed "We trained a bit today with shuriken and he was practicing his fire ball jutsu. He's tired." Sakura suddenly puffed up before speaking again "He said I was almost as good as you when we were training with the shuriken. I took it as a huge compliment." She said her voice betraying how happy it had made her. Itachi grinned.

"You've never seen me fight or train for that matter. What makes you think I'm so good?" he asked curiously before taking another drink of tea. Sakura's thoughts came to a skidding halt. She hadn't thought about that. She was judging his skill by what he was like in Akatsuki. Then again he is an ANBU captain, she could use that as her excuse.

"Well you're a captain of your own ANBU squad, you have to be pretty damn talented." She said with a laugh hoping that answer would quench his curiosity. He nodded.

"Tomorrow, if you're up to it, I'd like to spar with you." He paused "We can also do some stealth training as well."

"I'd like that." She said truthfully. Secretly she was excited yet nervous at the same time. How much would she have to hold back? She definitely couldn't show the strength she had gotten while training with Tsunade.

Itachi suddenly pushed his empty plate away,

"Thank you for the food."

"You're welcome." She said with a smile.

000

She couldn't see him because her eyes were blind folded and she couldn't hear him because he was as silent as a ghost. She reached out into the surrounding area with her senses desperate to feel a flicker of something but she got nothing. Suddenly she felt two warm hands wrap around her neck and a hard body rest up against her back. A gasp of shock broke free from her as her body tensed on instinct.

"You had no idea I was here did you?" Itachi soft voice said beside her left ear. Sakura took a shaky breath before shaking her head. As suddenly as he had come he was gone. The warmth he brought was gone along with him within seconds. She turned around and removed her blindfold.

Itachi was standing a few feet away from her.

"How did you do that?" she asked amazed at how undetectable he had been.

"It takes a lot of chakra control." He admitted. Sakura knew she had good chakra control and she could only hope with this training from him she could be just as undetectable.

"I have decent chakra control."

"Good, you'll need it." He said moving forward a few steps. "First I want you to picture the chakra flowing through your body. Close your eyes and feel it." She obeyed and her eyes fluttered shut. His voice startled the calm again as he spoke

"Once you've done that I want you to slow that flow down as much as possible. The slower it is the less likely you are to be sensed." He explained easily. Sakura gave a sharp nod, her eyes clamping shut a little harder as she concentrated.

It was harder than she thought, although not impossible. She could feel her chakra begin to slow. She knew this was how masking your chakra worked and the level she had slowed her chakra to at this point was generally the slowest she could make it go, which is why she wasn't the greatest at stealth.

"There you go. Now continue to get it as slow as you can."

"This is as far as I'm usually able to go." She explained peaking up at him. That broke her concentration and her chakra picked up its regular speed again making Sakura grumble in annoyance. Itachi grinned before shrugging.

"Try again." He suggested. She nodded closing her eyes again.

This went on for a little while longer and Itachi could see Sakura was getting slightly frustrated when she couldn't get it very much slower than what she usually did. He decided they would stop this training for the day.

"Now that you know it's something you need to work on, practice it. I'll be leaving for a two week long mission tomorrow so you will have plenty of time by yourself to practice." He said breaking her concentration again. She opened her eyes and looked at him. Sakura's heart twisted slightly at the knowledge that he was going to be gone for two whole weeks. She was going to be stuck with Tsuki for _two weeks_! A little voice in her head told her Tsuki wasn't the reason she was upset but she shoved that voice down for now.

"How about that spar, now?" She asked shaking her head to clear it. Itachi grinned and there was a slight gleam in his eye. He nodded.

"The rules. Just hand to hand combat and light weapon use. Kunai only." He said.

"Sounds good." She said as she watched him pick up a decent sized pebble off the ground before moving to the opposite side of the clearing.

_'Okay, Sakura. Keep your head the game. Don't go overboard. Hold back a bit.'_ She said giving herself a silent pep talk.

"When this hits the ground the match starts." He explained holding up the pebble from his side of the clearing. She nodded in understanding and reached for a kunai in the weapons pouch Itachi had given her earlier. She would have brought her own but it was taken by the rogue ninja's from the camp almost two months ago.

Sakura's eyes narrowed as Itachi tossed the small pebble into the air. Her knees bent reflexively as she readied her kunai. Adrenalin surged through her body instantly and her nervousness seemed to slow as she watched Itachi's dark eyes lower to her, readying himself for the spar. The pebble suddenly dropped, Sakura's stomach twisted at the realization that she needed to move. She lunged forward in a charge directly at Itachi before dread slammed into her as the man simply vanished from her view.

' _Shit!_ ' Sakura thought as her boots skidded across the ground to stop, her head snapped from side to side and then she glanced behind her.

Itachi had just up and disappeared on her, where the hell had he gone? She clenched her jaw lightly as she pushed her chakra out around her; trying to get a feel of the Uchiha's chakra, but to no avail. Kami it was like her first training session with Tsunade all over again. A sudden rush of air behind her was her only warning and Sakura's body twisted immediately as she gripped tighter onto the kunai in her hand. She spun, slicing in an arc in the hopes of deflecting a possible hit.

Itachi's right foot had barely touched the ground before Sakura's body had tensed, twisting toward him; her kunai slicing at his left shoulder. Even without his Sharingan it was simple to dodge. Itachi noticed that she was on edge and a little sloppy, but why? Jumping away from each other Sakura couldn't help the smirk that curved her lips at the sight of a small slit in the sleeve of Itachi's shirt, she hadn't done much but she was close enough to land a hit on his right bicep, she'd take that accomplishment! Talk about bragging rights! She had landed a hit on the legendary Uchiha Itachi of Akatsuki, though Akatsuki wasn't even a part of his life right now.

Sakura's eyes raised to Itachi's, the smirk on her face falling into a frown at the sight of his dark eyes, no Sharingan. The corners of Itachi's lips tugged upwards at the woman's face, was she disappointed?

"You're too tense, you could have landed that hit if you hadn't frozen." Itachi said his voice teasing. An annoyed grunt was Sakura's response, causing a small chuckle to leave him. Sakura pushed herself off the ground with her feet, running at Itachi as he jumped back to keep distance between them. If he wouldn't use the Sharingan then fine, that would just help Sakura all the more. She didn't have to worry about exposing herself or worry about him reading her movements, she could have the upper hand this way. At least that's what she told herself, but then why was she so pissed about it?

Sakura chased after Itachi, both occasionally exchanging blows with the other. Sakura was starting to get tired of it fast. It was clear that he was only playing with her, the small grin on his face was a dead giveaway. He was having fun leading her around the training field.

"I have to say Sakura, I expected you to at least be on Chunin level." He said his voice purposefully mocking "I'll admit though, you're showing exceptional form for a Genin." He finished with a grin at the way her eyes narrowed in anger.

_'Oh hell no!'_ Sakura grumbled in her thoughts before clicking her tongue in annoyance and pushing chakra into her legs and feet; kicking off the ground and propelling herself towards Itachi again. She swung her kunai towards his left shoulder in hopes of at least drawing a bit of blood, but Itachi's own kunai shot up to deflect the blow. He jumped back and away from her as he gave a small frown. She was holding back, he could tell in her movements, they were tense and controlled.

Sakura's eyes narrowed as they scanned for any opening as Itachi's foot touched the ground, he was on guard, she couldn't get a hit on him, but there _was_ one way. Without much thought to what she was doing, her hand shot out, throwing her only kunai out above him. She had pushed her chakra into it to make the blade sharper and it sliced through a small tree branch right above the Uchiha's head.

Itachi's head snapped up before he stepped back as the branch fell in front of him. Did she really think dropping a branch on him would help her cause? She had just lost her only—wait, it was a distraction. Itachi's eyes widened at the realization just as Sakura jumped from her previous spot at the edge of the clearing to a strong piece of the tree a few feet next to her. She grabbed ahold of a really large branch and pushed chakra into her arms before she pulled down with a yell, snapping the branch off the tree with ease.

Itachi's eyes widened as he watched her jump off the tree and land smoothly back onto her feet. She wasted no time before lunging at him again, swinging the branch at him like a bat. His body lurched back and to the side in order to avoid the more than likely devastating blow. Sakura thought quickly and threw the large piece of wood at him as he backed off.

' _How is she able to throw something like that? The amount of strength it requires is more than what should be possible…_ ' Itachi thought in shock as he skidded to a stop, the branch rolling to a halt in front of him.

Sakura retrieved her kunai from the fallen branch that she dropped over Itachi earlier; her shoulders rising and falling as she breathed slightly harder.

"Do _not_ go easy on me…I hate it when people treat me like I'm a weak girl." She growled. Itachi now knew when it came to combat she was quite the hot head. It didn't take much for him to rile her. He found it rather endearing to be honest. Itachi's eyes narrowed as a small smirk spread across his face. Oh he could see that clear as day, she was no weak girl. A cool breeze blew past them, making them both glance up. Neither of them missed the darkening clouds forming over their heads. Itachi looked down at Sakura before speaking.

"Then prove it to me, Sakura. Prove to me that you can handle me not going easy on you!" He said quickly before lunging forward, pushing chakra into his feet as his body shot towards Sakura like a bullet.

The quick movement barely gave her a chance to block his kunai with her own, only to have it knocked to the side and out of her hand when the two sharp objects collided. Sakura's body tipped back readying herself to land a kick at the raven in front of her. She clenched her jaw and kicked her left leg out and toward Itachi's side, only to have him grab it with his arm and pin it to there tightly. Taking a step back, he tightened the grip on her leg before he spun; throwing Sakura across the field. She gave a startled yelp before hitting the ground with a hard thud.

"Come now, don't tell me that burst of speed and power was a one shot deal?" Itachi laughed from across the clearing.

"Of course not!" Sakura shot back before she pushed herself up to her hands and knees. The pinkette was panting out short puffs of breathe as her body hummed with a mixture of adrenalin and fatigue. Neither of them had noticed the training field slowly growing darker and colder.

Lifting herself to her feet she clenched her fists, watching as Itachi slowly made his way towards her. How the hell was she going to do any of this while holding back? She should have never asked him to spar, it was such a stupid idea! A small voice in the back of her head reminded her that she wasn't doing a good job at holding back if her tree branch stunt had anything to say about it.

"You need to concentrate, Pinky." Itachi taunted with another grin. He enjoyed riling her up, it was amusing.

Sakura's eyes narrowed dangerously at the nickname before she let out a frustrated cry and jumped forward before stumbling to a stop. She turned herself to see Itachi standing behind her, his warm breath having caused the skin on the back of her neck to tingle. Her gazed snapped to where he was before, but there was nothing. How in the hell had he done that…again!? She had little to no time to dwell on it, though because Itachi's fist shot out at her face. Sakura tumbled quickly to the side and darted away from him. She needed distance! She needed to regroup herself so she could make a plan of attack, there's no way she'd be able to win otherwise. Again that annoying voice in the back of her mind told her she would never win if she continued to hold back, not against someone as talented as Uchiha Itachi anyways.

Sakura ran towards the cover of the trees, panting as she pushed chakra through her legs to get herself to move faster. She could feel him behind her as she jumped from branch to branch, but every time she looked back, she couldn't see him.

_'Is this what's it's like to have Uchiha Itachi, current member of ANBU and future Akatsuki member chasing after you?'_ She couldn't deny the fear twisting in her stomach at the thought. Sakura skidded to a halt and pressed herself against the rough trunk of a tree. She held her hand to her mouth to quiet her laboured breathing. Why was she freaking out? It's not like he was going to kill her, this was just a spar and she needed to get that through her head.

_'Stay calm…'_ She thought still slightly panicked. Panicking would get her caught, she had to calm herself.

She took in a large lung full of air before she bit the side of her hand in an attempt to still herself. She closed her eyes to fully concentrate. Naruto and Sasuke were pretty good at learning in the middle of a fight, maybe having Itachi hovering behind her would help give her the strong motivation she needed to learn how to hide herself better.

She could feel her chakra flow decelerating, calming itself as she forced it to move slower. She knew the moment her chakra was gone she needed to try and move. No doubt Itachi would go right where he last sensed her chakra, if she was successful in making it disappear that is, and something told her she probably wouldn't. She wasn't doing horrible though, just a bit more and she'd-

A squeal ripped out of Sakura mouth as something cold and wet touched her nose. Her arms flew up to defend her face, but nothing happened. She opened her eyes quickly and Sakura found the space in front of her empty. She glanced up only to confirm that she was alone. Another wet splotch hit her dead center in the forehead.

_'It's…raining?'_ It took her a moment to realize what had happened, not only had she screamed from a harmless drop of water but-Oooooh no…Oh no, no, no, she screamed! _'So much for hiding!'_ she grumbled in her head, annoyed with herself.

What the hell is wrong with her? Seriously a drop of rain startled her? She was so much better than this! Why was this spar so stressful? It shouldn't be, she was supposed to be having fun. Maybe it was because she was holding back, Sakura wasn't used to having to hold back and clearly it was making her edgy.

She blinked as she watched the leaves twitch as the drops of rain began to pick up and soon it was pouring down on her, soaking into her clothes. A snapping sound in front of her caught her attention and her eyes shot down in time to see senbon flying towards her. She lifted her arms to protect her body because her only kunai was gone and the blades ripped through her shirt and shorts; cutting into her flesh. The wounds the senbon made, made her hiss in pain. She looked down at a cut on her arm and frowned, those weren't traditional senbon…

"Did you make needles out of wood!? You just shot me with splinters!" Sakura said with slight anger in her voice "Besides, we agreed on kunai only! You're cheating!"

"I couldn't resist." Itachi answered over the sound of the rain. "I was curious to see how you would react." She could barely make out Itachi's form in the shadows of a tree, the rain also making the area around her hazier. "Especially since rain made you squeal." He said laughing softly.

A vein in her right temple throbbed as she ground her teeth almost painfully; a low growl rumbling in her chest. He was so totally teasing her! A smirk spread its way across the raven's face which made the throbbing spread to her whole forehead. Oh hell no he was not getting away with teasing her!

"I have to say." He continued almost casually. "I'm impressed you could hit notes that high, that takes talent only the best scaredy cats are able to accomplish-"

"SHANNAROOO!" Sakura roared. Itachi paled at Sakura's yell; her small form lunging at him as she pulled back her fist. He could easily catch her hand, but something in the back of his mind screamed for him to move, to dodge the little fist aimed for his chest.

Itachi didn't usually ignore his gut instincts so he jumped to the side and watched as Sakura's fist came into contact with the trunk of the tree directly behind where he had just been standing. The wood splintered and shattered instantly. Itachi pushed chakra into his feet as his sandals slid on the wet and slippery forest floor. Itachi leapt into the tree behind him, his Sharingan activating as the tree Sakura had punched, fell. This spar had reached a new level, a level in which Itachi would feel better with his Kekai Genkai activated.

He propelled himself to the side again, moving to the next tree over as the halved tree slammed into the one he was just in. His lips tugged down into a deep frown at what had just happened. His red and black eyes slowly moved to focus on the panting woman on the ground. Her eyebrows were drawn together in worry. Itachi's frown deepened, she hadn't meant to do that. Why was she holding this back? What was she hiding and why?

"Oops…?" She giggled awkwardly as a shy smile worked its way onto her face. She rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly before looking up to the clearly confused and slightly shocked Uchiha still perched in the tree to her left.

_'FUCK! Do I really not know what_ hold back _means anymore!?'_ She could rip her hair out by the handfuls at her own sheer stupidity. Sakura knew she was a smart woman and talented Kunoichi so why was she being so utterly stupid right now? She shouldn't have gotten so mad when he teased her, she just screwed herself!

Sakura didn't have much time to feel angry about her actions because Itachi suddenly jumped from his spot in the tree before landing in front of her. Sakura gave a startled gasp and leapt back a second too slow. Itachi's kunai cut through the fabric of her shirt and into her side a little. It wasn't deep, but with the rain mixing with her sweat, it made the wound sting. She jumped back and away from the raven before turning and running off to an untouched batch of trees. She pressed her hand to her bleeding side and pushed healing chakra into it. Itachi's body flickered in front of her towards the left, causing her whole body to tense. She lifted her foot and used her own kick to propel herself off of a tree trunk before using her momentum to run to the right. She removed her hand as the bleeding in her side had stopped.

Sakura found herself wondering why he wasn't stopping the spar, she doubted it was because he didn't take notice of her more than average level of enhanced strength. So why? Pride maybe? He needed to fully win to be completely satisfied? She wanted to stop if she was being honest. Not because she was tired or too injured but because she couldn't afford another slip up. She very well might have already compromised her mission, Itachi was bound to ask questions right? Someone doesn't just happen upon the strength she possessed by accident.

Again Itachi's form flickered to her right which caused her to instinctively veer left. Why the hell wasn't he attacking her!? The answer suddenly hit her, he was anticipating her breaking down another tree so he wouldn't attack her in the forest,

_'Oh shit-_ ' Sakura thought just as she broke through the tree line. She felt like all brain function had ceased. He was smart, he had led her out of the trees; where if she tried to land a hit, which she _so_ wasn't going to do again, at least not with chakra, there wouldn't be shrapnel to dodge. Sakura had learned her lesson though, no more slip ups.

Sliding across the mud as she tried to stop, Sakura turned to run back into the trees, feeling like a mouse that had fallen for the cat's trap without the cat doing more than staring at her. Red and black eyes were all she could see as Itachi leapt out of the trees towards her. Her breath whooshed out of her lungs painfully as his body slammed into her's. It took a few minutes before reality slowly seeped into Sakura's mind as she looked up and into the now black again eyes of Itachi as he hovered over her on the ground.

Moments passed and Itachi was well aware of the position they were in. Both of them were drenched, their clothes clinging to them like a second skin. Itachi's dark bangs were plastered to his face and his pony tail hung over his shoulder dripping water onto Sakura's chest. Their breathing was slightly laboured from their close proximity and the workout they both just endured. As their chests moved with each breath they barely brushed up against each other. The small space between them seemed to crackle with an unknown sensation. Attraction maybe? Neither of them knew but they continued to look into each other's eyes as time seemed to still.

Itachi was holding himself up with his arms, his feet digging into the wet ground to prevent himself from laying completely on top of the pinkette. Her pink hair was darkened by the water still pelting down on them, her hair also plastered to her face slightly. Suddenly Itachi right foot slid back caused by the slipperiness of the muddy ground. The movement caused his right arm to give out at the elbow which made him fall forward. A small gasp of shock came out of Sakura's mouth as their faces were now only a few inches apart. Itachi suddenly felt the overwhelming urge to lower his face an inch or so more and press his lips to Sakura's. That thought forced his mind to snap back into reality. The cold rain continued to pour down on them and Itachi suddenly jerked away from the woman beneath him before quickly getting to his feet.

"We need to get out of this weather before we get sick." He explained not missing the way the surprised expression on Sakura's face turned slightly disappointed. Why was she disappointed? Was it because he hadn't kissed her? The question bounced around in Itachi's mind for a moment before the movement of Sakura getting to her feet pulled him from his thoughts.

As they walked back to the house Itachi watched as Sakura absently healed all her small wounds, the green chakra making her hand glow in the slight darkness around them. Itachi wanted to ask Sakura where her random burst of inhuman strength came from earlier but resisted, she looked tired. He vowed to question her about it later. Sakura moved her glowing hand to better heal the still tender wound on her side, courtesy of Itachi's kunai. It wasn't deep enough to scar so she wasn't overly worried about it.

Neither of them spoke for the remainder of the walk back to the house. It wasn't an awkward silence but a thoughtful silence. Both of them were mulling over what had just happened on the ground after their spar. Why hadn't Itachi just kissed her? Why did she want him to kiss her? Where did these feelings come from? Could Sakura actually have a relationship with him? No probably not considering her mission. Besides, she used to be in love with Sasuke, she felt pretty stupid to now be going after his brother. No she didn't have feelings for him! She just cared about him. He was a nice guy, that's all. The inner voice inside her begged to differ but Sakura kindly told it to shut the hell up.

000

The warmth of the house welcomed them as they stepped through the door. The house seemed to be empty for the time being and Sakura was relieved as she was sure her clothes were almost see-through at this point and didn't feel like explaining where they were. They reached Itachi's room, both hoping that when Mikoto came home she wouldn't noticed the water droplets throughout her house.

"I'll be right back." Itachi said suddenly before starting back down the hall.

"Wait you're leaving me by myself?" Sakura asked making him stop and turn around. He smiled. It was a genuinely nice smile that made Sakura suck in a breath because it was directed straight at her for the first time.

"I think you can manage by yourself for five minutes." Sakura smiled back at him. He trusted her, maybe not fully but at least there was a small amount there. That knowledge made Sakura happier than she thought it would.

"Okay." She answered before disappearing into his room. She moved over to her shelf in the closet before picking out something comfortable to wear. She settled on a pair of light grey track pants and a black tank-top.

She placed the clothing onto the bedside table and began to peel her wet shirt off. The drenched material stuck to her chest and she struggled to get it off but it wouldn't budge. She pulled it off enough for it to get stuck around her head. She found she couldn't pull it off any further. At this point her bra was completely uncovered. Her heart froze in her chest when she heard the bedroom door open again "Oh, by the way I'm drawing you a bath to help you-"Sakura couldn't see because of the shirt covering her face but she knew why he stopped short.

Her chest was heaving with half annoyance and half with the effort she had put forth to get her damn shirt off not to mention he probably had a _really_ nice view of her bra clad chest. Without another moment of hesitation she spun around so her back was to him.

"Itachi!" she squeaked embarrassingly. That seemed to snap him out of whatever he was doing because he immediately spoke

"Erm…my apologies…Do you need help?" he asked hesitantly his voice slightly deeper than usual.

"No I do not need help! Get out!" she cried her face heating to an uncomfortable level

"Right, I'll be back in a few minutes." He said quickly and she sighed in relief when the door closed and silence surrounded her. Eventually with a few more tugs she managed to get the offending shirt off. Her tight black shorts were far easier to get off surprisingly and she quickly slipped on the clothes she laid out for herself.

Her face was still tomato red when Itachi knocked on the door. She told him to enter before trying to will away the blood that had rushed to her cheeks. When the dark haired man walked in she was satisfied to see the slight pink tint to his own cheeks. Good she wasn't the only one embarrassed. He suddenly shoved a towel in her arms.

"Your bath is ready and um…sorry again." He said the embarrassment in his voice clear before he walked out of the room again. Sakura smiled holding the towel to her chest and making her way to the bathroom for her bath.

000

"So, you'll be gone for two weeks?" Sakura asked looking up at Itachi. He stood in his room clad in traditional ANBU garb which consisted of the grey ANBU vest, black pants with bandages covering his lower legs all the way to mid-calve. His katana could be seen over his right shoulder and his leaf headband was on display, his bangs falling over the sides of it. His ANBU weasel mask was clipped to his side.

"Yes." He nodded crossing his arms over his chest. Sakura nodded too before standing. Itachi lifted one hand and rubbed at the back of his neck almost awkwardly. "I should probably get going." He said dropping his arms back to his sides. Sakura nodded again and before she knew what she was doing she flung herself at him; wrapping her arms around his neck and burying her face in his shoulder.

"Goodbye. Be safe." She murmured, her voice muffled against his shirt. He stood stock still for a few seconds unsure of what to do. He hadn't expected this kind of display from her. He also didn't expect the warm feeling that burst through his chest when she did it. Hesitantly his arms wrapped around the middle of her back and he tugged her closer so their bodies were touching.

"I will." He assured softly. She pulled back first, a small shy smile on her face.

"Kay, see you in two weeks." She said taking a small step back. He returned her shy smile. Before he left the room he bit the side of his thumb before weaving a few hand signs.

"Summoning Jutsu." He said before placing his hand on the ground. Tsuki suddenly appeared looking disgruntled as always before ruffling his feathers and taking his spot on the end of the headboard.

"See you two in a couple weeks, both of you get along!" he ordered playfully. Tsuki rolled his eyes.

"Yea, yea, yea." The bird drawled making Sakura laugh.

"Oh Sakura, feel free to sleep on my bed while I'm gone. I'm sure it's more comfortable than the floor." He said before turning on his heel and making his way toward Sasuke's room to say goodbye to him.

Sakura sighed, this would be a long two weeks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter will be all in Itachi's POV over the two weeks he is gone. Are you excited? I'm excited so please be excited with me! :D


	10. No Witnesses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> WARNING!: There is some graphic stuff in this chapter, its not overly bad but there is some blood and what not, quite a few deaths too

_Her lips were warm and soft as they trailed down his neck leaving a path of heat in their wake. His breathing was laboured, desire coursing through him like an electric current. He felt her hand slip down his naked chest and over the scar that marked his upper abdomen before her nimble finger's tugged gently at the hem of his pants. His breathing hitched as her hand snuck under the only clothing he had left on his person. His eyes popped open to see short pink locks and bright green eyes looking at him, just as she gripped her hand around his-_

"Oi! Idiot, wake up!"

Itachi's eyes flew open as he sat up; kunai up in defense, fully prepared for an enemy attack. Instead of the enemy he was faced with the highly amused eyes of his cousin. Itachi gritted his teeth in frustration, of that look…and something else. "Hm, what were _you_ dreaming about?" Shisui asked eyebrow raised in question his grin still firmly in place. Itachi inwardly cursed as he felt a small blush dust his cheeks.

"Nothing." He replied stoically and surprisingly convincing. Shisui wasn't buying it though. He straightened his legs as he stood from his crouch and gave a short laugh.

"Hn. Tell that to the tent you have going on in your pants." He grinned. Itachi's eyes shot down to his lap and outwardly groaned in pure annoyance. Casually covering the problem in his lap he glared at the short haired man next to him.

"What do you want?" the younger man grumbled. He had never had a dream like that before in his life. It bothered him that his subconscious seemed to be thinking about things it shouldn't be. Shisui shrugged and looked to the side at their other sleeping teammate.

"I'd like to sleep sometime tonight, it's your turn to guard." He replied, that stupid amused smirk still curving his lips.

"Hn."

"Everything seems relatively calm considering how close we are to our destination. We should scout out the area in a few hours." He suggested, going back to being serious again. Itachi was relieved that his little 'problem' had calmed down enough to safely stand up without getting another teasing session from Shisui. The younger raven nodded in confirmation to what his cousin said before grabbing his mask and placing it firmly over his face.

"Sleep well." He mumbled before jumping up and into one of the nearby trees to sit and guard his comrades.

They had been travelling for four days now. Their mission wasn't going to be an easy one either, it required delicate planning. They were after a former shinobi of the leaf who had gone rogue six years ago. His previous name was Himitsu Shugi but he now went by the name of Fumeiyo Omei. Omei had been impossible to find for five years and now suddenly one year ago he resurfaced, completely rich. He had a huge house on the outskirts of fire country with a woman and their two children. Four year old twin girls. A spy informed Konoha council that he made the money by selling sensitive information about the village. They don't know why he had just begun doing that now but there was only one way to stop the leak of information and that was to eliminate the man spilling the secrets. Itachi's orders were clear; there were to be no witnesses to the assassination.

The team hadn't come up with a plan yet though. They had to scout out the surroundings of the house before they could make a well thought out strategy. Itachi sighed as he looked up at the full moon through the trees. The dream he had, came back to him full force. He had never had a dream like that before. It shocked him that his subconscious had, had the time to come up with such a thing. With everything going on his life right now a relationship beyond friendship with Sakura shouldn't even be on his radar. So why couldn't he get her out of his head?

No! He had to stay away, he was too complicated to be with. She would never completely know him and his secrets, not to mention the elders of his clan would never allow it, let alone his father. Itachi frowned at the slight pang of disappointment that stabbed through his chest. He knew distancing himself from Sakura emotionally was the right thing, so why did it feel so wrong? The Uchiha clan was slowly spiraling into something too dark for the pinkette to begin to grasp, he wouldn't allow himself to drag her into all that.

Itachi suddenly rolled his eyes. Listen to him, acting like he knows Sakura wants him as much as he wants her. For all he knows she could just want to be friends and that's it. Who knew how she felt towards him? A small voice laughed darkly from inside the raven's head.

' _Right, you remember as well as I do the look she gave you in the clearing when you didn't kiss her. She was hoping for it as much as you were, who are you trying to fool?'_ Itachi made an annoyed 'tch' sound with his tongue before lowering his head and glaring out at the trees. Things with his clan were beginning to get rough. There had been talks of a total village takeover a few years back, no one had really paid much mind to it, but now, things were changing. The elders were slowly sinking their conniving claws into Itachi's father, bending him to see their way of thinking.

Itachi was ashamed to see his father falling for their schemes. At this point in time Itachi was playing 'double agent' He spied on his own clan for the village and relayed any and all important information to the Hokage. At the same time he was his father's go to person for information on the village, he was an ANBU captain after all and was privy to a decent amount of sensitive information. Itachi would always divulge as little as possible to his father, saying just enough to satisfy him and not arouse suspicion. Lately though that had been getting more difficult.

Itachi was relatively good at hiding the stress that the entire situation caused him but if things escalated anymore he wasn't so sure he'd be able to keep composed. Itachi sighed before digging the sharp point of his kunai into the rough bark of the tree he still sat on, resigning himself to three more hours of mental turmoil.

000

"So what's the plan, captain?" Genma asked from Itachi's side as they watched the large house, no not house, the mansion in front of them from the cover of the forest. Each of their chakras were heavily masked to avoid the detection of the many guards surrounding the building.

"I'm still thinking." Itachi said honestly. He couldn't really get a good read on the guards and their posts from this position. Gritting his teeth in annoyance he bit the side of his thumb to draw blood before weaving his hands into the familiar signs.

"Summoning jutsu." Itachi hoped to kami Sakura was alone and not in front of his parents at this moment. Tsuki appeared looking rather shocked to be summoned away from Sakura.

"What is it?" Tsuki asked immediately flapping his wings hard enough to pull him off the ground and onto Itachi's shoulder. The bird looked around for any immediate threats, he knew Itachi wouldn't summon him away from the pinkette unless he really needed him.

"Nothing too serious Tsukino, but I do need your help, something only you can help with." Itachi said honestly. "Was she alone at least?" He asked after a moment, knowing the bird would catch on.

"Yes, luckily." He replied. Itachi gave a small sigh of relief "What is it you need me to do?" he asked

"I need you to fly around that mansion and take in every single point where a guard is posted. I need to know not only their locations but how many in total are around the house. Also if you could peak into some of the windows and give me a brief idea of what we will be getting ourselves into."

Tsuki gave a sharp nod before taking off and exited the forest to fly around the home.

"I hope she is alone for a while, Crow." Shisui said using Itachi's code name. "Things could get ugly fast if she gets caught alone." Itachi nodded in agreement the last thing he wanted was for his father to lose it again with Itachi not there to intervene.

"What are you two talking about?" Genma asked Itachi as he moved to stand next to him on the thick branch of the tree.

"None of your business, Mole!" Shisui bit out, annoyed with his teammates usual nosy behavior.

"Shut up, _pussy_!" Genma shot back "I don't recall asking _you_." Itachi sighed as he felt Shisui's defense rise in the form of anger.

"Cat! My code name is _Cat_!" the short haired Uchiha growled back. Itachi was thankful the two men were mature enough to continue masking their chakra. If they failed to do that, the raven wouldn't hesitate to pummel them into the ground for getting the team caught.

"Crow, can I please get a new code name?" Shisui asked exasperatedly

"No, and would you two _please_ grow the hell up?" Itachi asked completely calm as he patiently waited for his summon animal to return with the Intel.

Tsuki returned a half hour later and landed smoothly on Itachi's shoulder. Itachi held out his left arm in front of him, bending it at the elbow so Tsuki could face him while speaking. The bird hopped down the raven's arm.

"What took you so long?" Itachi asked once the Tsuki was settled.

"I was listening in on an interesting conversation." The crow explained.

"Report." Itachi ordered

"Ten guards in total outside of the building and three more in the surrounding area, patrolling. Three are stationed at the front door, three at the back and four are moving around the house. Two are covering the east side and the other two on the west side. There are two guards that I was able to see inside the home, but there may be more I couldn't see through the windows."

"Good job, Tsuki. Now about that conversation…" The captain replied, trailing off suggestively.

"I'm assuming you all know he is making a profit by selling leaf village info, correct?" The bird asked looking at each of the three men around him. Itachi nodded

"Yes, that's why we're here." He explained. Tsuki gave a short head nod before continuing.

"I'm not sure if this information matters much in the long run, but he is making money off of the trading of other valuable information that has nothing to do with the village." Tsuki paused "I'm not sure of the specifics but the man he is selling other information too is pretty well known around these parts. He is feared by all but according to the two guards that were speaking, people know very little about him." Tsuki blinked trying to recall the name the two men had called this mysterious man. "Apparently he goes by the name of Pein." He said gauging the reaction of everyone. The masks they wore hid all of their expressions but from what Tsuki could see no one knew that name. It wasn't familiar to them.

"Interesting to know." Shisui concluded shifting his weight between his feet before speaking again "Anything else?"

"Yes." Tsuki replied once more "The guards had been speaking about why they were hired in the first place." Itachi's eyes narrowed slightly in interest and yet at the same time, part of him didn't want to know. "Apparently just after his two daughters were born, his family was threatened. Even the guards don't know the specifics, all they do know is that his twins are to be protected at all costs. Omei pays them a hefty amount to fulfill that order." The crow finished. Itachi nodded.

"Thank you, Tsuki. I appreciate your help." Itachi said sincerely. "Now, go back to her. Try to have her alone a lot this week, or at least not around my parents, as I may need your help again." Tsuki nodded in affirmation before disappearing back to Sakura.

000

The next three days passed in a blur as the three man team watched the guards as closely as possible, memorizing their schedule and shift changes. This needed to be quick and clean with no witnesses. Itachi had decided he would be the one to infiltrate the building and carry out the mission while Shisui and Genma took care of the guards outside.

"Cat, put the back door guards under a gen-jutsu. If they wake from it, kill them. When you're done that move onto the other two guards on the west side." Itachi ordered. Shisui gave a sharp nod

"Understood." He answered

"Mole. I need you to take care of the guards on the east side and then the front doors." Genma also gave a sharp nod as he repositioned the mask on his face so it was sitting more comfortably

"Hai, sir."

"When the three guards at the back are under the gen-jutsu I will enter through that door and scout out the locations of the other two guards stationed inside before carrying out in the assassination of Fumeiyo Omei. Are we all clear on our plans?"

"Hai!" They both replied in unison.

"Good, we do this tonight."

000

The three men masked each of their chakra as they silently approached the home. Genma branched off to take care of his side of the building while Shisui and Itachi made their way to the back. Before the two ANBU were even in view of the enemy the three men dropped to the ground suddenly, caught in Shisui's gen-jutsu.

Shisui stood guard at the back door as Itachi silently slipped into the home. As he made his way further into the house he noticed it was rather bare. It was dark but he was able to see that there was furniture and some wall décor, but it didn't give off much of a homey feeling and Itachi guessed with how small Omei's family was, they didn't enter a lot of the rooms throughout the house very often. That thought made Itachi wonder why they had such a large home in the first place. Why bother when you won't use half of it?

The house was silent as its inhabitants slept peacefully, feeling safe. There didn't seem to be any guards on the first floor and Itachi took that as a sign that the family slept in the rooms located on the second floor. He made his way up the two flights of stairs and pressed his back to the wall by the staircase. His sharingan was activated and it helped him see a small amount better in the darkness of the house. Stealthily he peeked around the corner his eyes picking up on two men in the hallway. Each of them were guarding one door. The first man was two doors down from Itachi and the second was four doors down seemingly dozing off on the job. His back was against the door as he sat cross-legged, his head resting against the door frame. Both were on the same side of the hallway.

With a small inaudible sigh the raven jumped from his spot around the corner and rushed the guard at the first door. The brown haired man's eyes widened a fraction as Itachi appeared in front of him, his white and red weasel mask slightly more visible in the dark than the rest of his body. He knew when he was up as close to the man as he currently was his sharingan was easily visible, but before the guard could utter even a gasp of surprise Itachi grasped his chin and placed his other hand around the back of the man's head. He twisted his head sharply, effectively snapping his neck. Itachi looped his arm around the guard's upper body to prevent him from falling noisily to the floor and alerting his dozing partner.

Once Itachi laid the now dead man onto the ground softly he made his way over to the other guard. He made quick work of him, killing the man in his sleep before he hauled both of their bodies, disposing of them in a spare room on the other side of the hallway. He closed the empty room's door softly before opening the door to what he hoped was the bedroom of Omei. He turned the doorknob and pushed the door open.

Itachi entered the room only to figure out immediately that it was the wrong one. Two single beds sat side by side from each other, medium sized pink and black comforters covering the two small forms of Omei's twin girls. Their long blond hair was braided against the side of their heads in an identical manor, which made them look like clones. Itachi clenched his hands into fists before slowly backing out of the room. These two innocent children didn't deserve to die over their father's stupidity. Itachi's orders weren't to kill them, as long as they didn't see what he was about to do they didn't need to die. His gut clenched slightly at the realization he was about to orphan them both.

The raven made his way over to the second room and almost sighed in relief as he saw the two adult forms asleep on the bed in the center of the large bedroom. Thankfully they seemed to be sleeping slightly apart from each other which made the fact that he might not have to kill the woman too, more possible. He approached the side of the bed where Omei was sleeping. His upper body was exposed, the blanket only covering his lower half. He had light brown hair that spread around his head on his pillow. His partner looked peaceful as she slept, completely unaware of ANBU member currently in their bedroom. She, like their daughters had long blond hair except hers wasn't braided.

Itachi retrieved a kunai from the pouch at his hip, he raised it up in preparation for stabbing the rogue shinobi in the chest but a movement next to the man, made Itachi freeze. He glanced over toward the blonde woman at Omei's side to see her bright blue eyes wide open and trained on him. Time stood still and before Itachi could react the woman sat straight up and a loud scream escaped her mouth. Thinking quickly Itachi spun the kunai around his finger to make it so the blade was pointing outward before he lunged forward slightly and slashed at the woman's throat, cutting off her scream and replacing it with a horrible gurgling sound as she immediately began to choke on her own blood.

The small yet loud display had woken Itachi's target and the now wide awake Omei had Itachi at a disadvantage as the raven was leaning over the man's body slightly. Omei's hands immediately wrapped around Itachi's neck tightly making the raven choke out a gasp as the brown haired man's fingers pressed against his esophagus, cutting off his air supply. Itachi used his left hand to press against Omei's chest pulling himself away from him slightly before bringing down his right hand that still held the bloody kunai stabbing it forcefully into the top of Omei's chest, a few inches away from his heart.

The pain the stab caused made Omei's hands lose their grip and Itachi used the advantage to stab the kunai directly into the man's heart. Omei's eyes widened and he coughed, a splatter of blood hitting Itachi's mask.

"My girls." He wheezed "Don't…hurt them." Itachi's eyes widened, not expecting the guy to speak. Omei then stopped fighting against the raven and fell limp onto his bed, his eyes fluttering shut. Itachi's eyes shot toward the woman. She was dead too her eyes wide with fear and her hand covered in her own blood as it lay limp against her throat.

Itachi had been so preoccupied with his task he hadn't realized the bedroom door had been opened and two small four year old girls stood and watched as a mysterious man did something bad to their parents. Itachi's heart squeezed painfully hard in panic when he saw the two girls. He locked eyes with them and took a step forward around the bed and toward the pair. They both screamed at the same time, fear etched into their faces before they took off in a dead run down the hallway. With a curse Itachi ran after them, following them into their bedroom.

He found the two girls cowering in the corner of their room, crying and clinging to each other. Itachi felt his chest tighten at the pure terror that was rolling off of them in waves as he approached them. Itachi then did something that he had never done before in all his time as an ANBU member. He removed his mask. Seeing the two girls so scared made Itachi feel sick. The part that made him even sicker was the fact that they had seen what he did, that meant that he would have to do something he had never had to do before. He had to kill a child.

He raised his hands slightly in an action that showed he meant no harm to them as he approached further until he was right in front of them. He knelt down to their level and spoke in his softest voice.

"Shhh, it's okay. I won't hurt you." He lied smoothly. The little girls still looked frightened but the grip they had on each other loosened a little.

"Tou-san, Kaa-san. You hurt them." One of them cried, sniffling slightly.

"No, no I didn't." Itachi assured softly as his mind worked a mile a minute to come up with a believable story as to what went on in that room. "It was all a trick. Those weren't your parents, they were fakes. You're father hired me to stage their deaths. It was to protect you." Itachi explained hoping the two girls would believe him, the last thing he wanted was for them to be terrified in the last moments of their life. What Omei had said earlier flashed through his mind _"My girls, don't hurt them."_ This was the last thing Itachi wanted to do and it killed him that he had to do it anyways.

"Really? So…our parents okay?" The other girl asked, her eyes wide. Itachi nodded enthusiastically, plastering a fake smile on his face, hoping it looked reassuring.

"In order for me to get you back to them though I need you two to go to sleep. What are your names?" Itachi asked still kneeling in front of them. They had drifted apart slightly and weren't clinging to each other anymore.

"I'm Yunīku and this is my sister Amai." Yunīku said starting to calm down. Both of their tears had ceased which made Itachi slightly relieved.

"Yunīku and Amai, I want to know what you both love to do the most?" he paused smiling again "If you could do anything right this moment what would it be?" The girls' eyes brightened at his words.

"I love to play with the horses we have." Yunīku said enthusiastically

"I like to play ninja's with daddy!" Amai added after her sister. Itachi smiled sadly before he spoke again.

"That sounds like fun!" he paused before pointing at his eyes "You see these black and red eyes?" he asked, they both nodded "They are magic, they can help you sleep and they'll make sure you dream of doing those things that you love." He said with a smile. The two girls' eyes widened and twin smiles adorned their precious faces. "How does that sound?" Itachi asked forcing his voice to stay even as the thought of what he was about to do haunted his mind.

"That sounds cool." Yunīku said in awe.

"Good, all you guys have to do it look into my eyes and it will happen okay? So look into them now." He said. The girls obeyed and instantly their two bodies went soft as the gen-jutsu sucked each of them into their different dreams. A small smile could be seen on each of their faces as Itachi caught their limp bodies before they fell over.

He laid both of them down on the floor onto their stomachs before removing the very kunai he used to kill their parents from his pouch. With a heavy heart he felt around the back of Yunīku's neck for the precise spot before digging the kunai in and severing her spinal cord with ease, killing the girl instantly. Itachi felt his stomach roll and salty tears sting at the back of his eyes. Why was this so hard? He had never had to kill a child before but it should be the same as killing an adult. Itachi knew that wasn't the case. These two girls were innocent, they hadn't done one bad thing in their life and here he was ending it because they had walked in on something they shouldn't have. Itachi assumed the reason they had gotten up was because of their mothers scream but he wasn't positive.

He gritted his teeth against the onslaught of emotions and with slightly shaky hands he moved onto to Amai. He repeated the actions of severing her spinal cord and before he could let his emotions take over he stood shoving the awful feelings down and put his blood splattered ANBU mask back on. With one last glance at the two sweet children he had just murdered he spun on his heel and left the room. The mission was over and Itachi had never felt so unhappy about the way it had ended, even if it would be considered a success.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Awwwe :'( our poor 'Tachi, I felt horrible making him do that :( How did you all like it? This chapter wasn't for nothing, the events will come back into play in later chapters.


	11. Reunion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ItaSaku fluffy fluff ensues...

"You did well Team Crow." Hiruzen told the kneeling men before him. Itachi was in the middle and Shisui and Genma were on either side of him as he briefed the hokage and other council members on the success of their mission. The three team members had their heads bowed respectfully.

"If the children trusted you, I don't think it was necessary to kill them. You could have spared them and brought them back to the village." Danzo added as an afterthought. A flicker of regret and guilt shot through Itachi's chest. His eyes squeezed shut as Yunīku and Amai's innocent faces flashed through his mind. He could have saved them? He didn't have to kill them? Itachi felt guilty for doing it but now he downright felt disgusted in himself. He felt sick to his stomach.

As if sensing this Hiruzen was quick to speak up about the matter

"Now, now Danzo." He started, his voice disapproving "Itachi did what he thought was the right thing to do. I respect his decision and you should do the same."

"Hm." Was Danzo's only response. Itachi's jaw clenched but he stayed quiet. Why would Danzo say that? Why would he make Itachi feel worse for the sake of it? Shisui glanced over with a worried look at his cousin's stiff form. On the way into Konoha territory, he was too busy teasing Itachi about the morning he woke him up from that 'interesting' dream to notice his best friend was hurting. He felt like a horrible friend. With an inward sigh he returned to looking at the ground, promising himself he would address the situation with Itachi once they were dismissed.

"Is there anything else we need to discuss?"

"I believe we have briefed you on the entire mission, that was all that needed to be discussed." Itachi said his voice hard and slightly strained.

"Very well you three are dismissed. You will all have the week off to rest."

"Hai, Hokage-sama." The three men said in unison before standing from their kneeling positions and heading toward the door.

"Itachi." Hiruzen called causing the raven to turn around immediately. The third hokage didn't say a word, he just gave Itachi a look that he knew well. The younger man nodded in understanding of the silent order before leaving the room with his two teammates.

Sure Itachi had the week off but he wouldn't be spending it doing nothing. The look Hiruzen had given him was a silent order to be watchful this week. Gather more intel on the going-ons of the clan and reporting to him at the earliest convenience.

"See you guys in a week." Genma called heading in the direction of his home. "Later, Pussy!" he laughed causing Shisui to grit his teeth in annoyance. He shoved his annoyance down for now and instead decided to address the issue about Itachi. The two friends walked side by side in comfortable silence for a few minutes as they headed in the direction of the compound.

"You okay?" Shisui finally asked. Itachi glanced at him out of the corner of his eye.

"Hn, I'm fine." He assured, looking back ahead of him. Shisui frowned

"I know you're not." He answered "I didn't realize it before, but I think killing those two girls messed you up a lot more than you're letting on." He finished bluntly. Itachi glared at the road, he didn't want to talk about his right now.

"I'm fine." He said his voice hard. Shisui knew then that talking about this with him right now would be futile. Silence fell over them both again as they walked into the Uchiha compound. Shisui stopped at the corner where he would turn to go home and grabbed onto Itachi's arm. The younger man stopped and looked down at Shisui's hand curiously.

"Let it go, Itachi. Nothing could have been done about it. Dwelling on it will only make you feel worse about yourself. It wasn't your fault and you need to realize that sooner rather than later." He said completely serious. Itachi shrugged

"Sure." He said seemingly indifferent. Shisui knew better though. His cousin could be read like an open book through his dark eyes, and all the older man could see was pain. He released Itachi's arm with a nod and could only hope his words would get through to the man.

"See you later?" Shisui asked beginning to turn the corner. Itachi nodded before spinning on his heel and walking in the direction of his home. The raven found himself slightly looking forward to a certain pink haired Kunoichi that would be waiting for him.

000

Sakura felt the familiar chakra approaching the door and a giddy excitement coursed through her unexpectedly. She missed him. It shocked her how much she actually did miss the man. He had become someone important in her life as of late. Sakura knew she was getting attached and she also knew it was a really bad idea. For one it was unlikely the man would return her feelings, two, he was Sasuke's brother, and three liking him more than a friend could seriously compromise her mission. What if she ended up having to stop him by force? Could she kill him if it was needed? At this point Sakura didn't know, she had come to the realization it was too late to question her feelings.

Being around Itachi as much as she had been in the following two months she had come to the conclusion about one thing in particular. There was no way Itachi killed his clan just because he could. There had to have been a solid reason behind it, it made no sense for him to do it at random. It wasn't the way Itachi was as a person. He was kind and gentle with the people he cared about, which was his family. Sasuke was so important to him that Sakura couldn't fathom why the man would kill Sasuke's innocence and take everything he loved away from him in the blink of an eye. It just _didn't_ make sense. None of it did and Sakura was determined to figure it all out and stop it.

Sakura jumped from Itachi's bed where she had been laying down reading a book and dashed out of the bedroom door, leaving a frantic Tsuki behind as he tried to keep up. Mikoto and Fugaku weren't home again and Sasuke was due home from the Academy any minute now so Sakura wasn't too worried about getting caught without Tsuki. The front door opened and Sakura's heart began to beat at a slightly faster pace as Itachi walked through the door. Without a thought she walked up to him and hugged him, just like she did when she was saying goodbye before his mission.

Her arms wrapped around his neck and without hesitation Itachi reciprocated the hug. He pulled her close to his body and leant down slightly to press his nose into her pink tresses. He inhaled silently and enjoyed her flowery scent. Itachi was a little surprised when some of the tension in his body began to drain just by Sakura's touch alone. They stood there for a minute and Sakura reluctantly pulled back to look into Itachi eyes. She was about to smile but it fell flat when she saw the sadness there. Her heart hammered in her chest, something was wrong.

"Where is Shisui is he okay? What's wrong, you look upset?" She asked in a rush, worry obvious in her voice. Itachi couldn't help but smile softly at the way she worried over him and his cousin. He went to unclip his ANBU vest before calmly walking past her while he answered her question.

"I'm fine. The whole team came back in one piece, so Shisui is perfectly fine as well." He said walking up the stairs knowing the pinkette was following. Tsuki was perched on the top of the step and disappeared when Itachi nodded at him.

With an unusually exaggerated sigh Itachi flopped onto his bed, his body bouncing slightly on the mattress.

"I didn't get you in trouble when I summoned Tsuki did I?" He asked after a moment of silence. Sakura sat down on her bed, the bed she hadn't used the entire two weeks Itachi was gone. The pinkette had taken what Itachi said to heart and slept in his bed. She remembered the day Tsuki disappeared. It freaked her out for a few minutes before she realized Itachi had summoned him away. Little did Tsuki and Itachi know that Sakura had taken full advantage of being completely alone in the house without supervision.

***Flashback Starts***

_Sakura was alone for the first time in almost two months of beginning her mission here. The house was quiet, her guard bird was gone and all the pinkette could think about was the fact that this was the perfect time to do some digging. Although the underlying fear of getting caught somehow, loomed over her head, Sakura thought up a way to get around the possibility of getting caught. She made a clone of herself._

_The clone would search the house for anything that she deemed important while the real Sakura would stay in the bedroom where she was when Tsuki left. If the bird returned he would try the bedroom first to find her. When that happened she would simply call her clone back to her and receive its memories and any information it gathered. It was perfect and Sakura hoped beyond hope her searching would bring something of importance up. She needed information and soon._

_After her clone was made it walked with ease toward Fugaku's study on the east side of the home. She opened the door and snuck in, quietly closing the door behind her. Fugaku's study was large compared to some of the other rooms in the house. There was a large bookcase that covered the entire right wall that was filled with many different scrolls and books that looked important. His desk sat at the back of the room and behind it was a semi large window that looked out into the beautiful garden in the backyard. There were a few potted plants throughout the room that gave it a homier feel. Sakura figured Mikoto took care of them and kept them watered because Fugaku didn't seem like the type of person to do something like that himself._

_Sakura's clone wasted no more time observing the decorations before walking toward the desk. She started by searching through the drawers and unfortunately only finding empty scrolls and meaningless paperwork. She ran her finger along the inside edge of every drawer to see if there was a hidden compartment. She was losing hope with the desk in general when her finger felt a slight indent in the seam of the last drawer. She curled her finger underneath it and almost squealed with excitement when the bottom popped up and out of place to reveal the hidden space._

_Sakura's excitement plummeted when she realized the area was empty. With slight annoyance she let the bottom click back into place and she carefully closed the drawer. After doing a quick overview of the small amount of papers on Fugaku's desk the pinkette gave up and after making sure everything was in the exact same place as she had found it she moved on to the bookcase._

_She was hoping to find_ something _she could use for information but she could find nothing. All the scrolls and books lining the entire wall had nothing to do with clan related things. Frustrated and annoyed Sakura left the office. She headed to Mikoto and Fugaku's bedroom and searched through their large closet. All she managed to find there were a box of old pictures of Sasuke and Itachi when they were younger. They were absolutely adorable but Sakura couldn't lose focus._

_The clone figured out she wouldn't be finding anything useful and disappeared. Sakura instantly got the memories of her clone and it made her grit her teeth in frustration_

_"Damn it!" Nothing, absolutely nothing. What the hell was she going to do!?_

***Flashback End***

"No you didn't, no one was home at the time thankfully. Besides you didn't end up needing him again anyways." Sakura said with a small smile.

"How was your two weeks?" he asked again. Sakura grinned, he was in an unusually talkative mood. She stood from her spot on the floor and sat beside the raven as he lounged sideways on his bed, his legs dangling off the side and his feet resting on the floor. She scooted back so she was leaning against the wall before looking down at him. His eyes which had been previously closed were now open and looking at her. The pain she had saw earlier was still clearly there but it wasn't as potent as before. Clearly talking to her was helping ease his mind off of whatever was bothering him.

"It was okay. How about yours, did you miss me?" She asked teasingly, her small nose scrunching up slightly. He grinned before closing his eyes.

"Kind of." He allowed his grin not leaving his face.

"Ouch, just kind of?" she asked again sounding offended. Itachi knew she wasn't serious, he also knew he wasn't being completely truthful. He actually missed her a lot, if the dream he had anything to say about it.

"I did. More than I thought I would." He said truthfully, his eyes still closed. His mind wandered back to his mission without his permission and a frown marred his features. Sakura took notice right away.

"Are you sure you're okay?" She asked concerned. Itachi's eyes peaked open again to look at her. The worried expression on her face made his frown deepen. He didn't like when people worried about him.

"I'm fine, Sakura. What did I say about worrying about me?" he asked raising an eyebrow before going back to closing his eyes and folding his arms behind his head. "Just have a bit of a headache is all." He admitted. He wasn't lying really, he did have a headache, he just wasn't telling the whole truth.

Itachi felt two cool fingertips press against his temples. He opened his eyes again to be met with Sakura's cautious stare.

"May I help with the pain?" she asked patiently waiting for his approval. He waited a moment before nodding and closing his eyes. Sakura's cool healing chakra flowed from her finger tips and into his head, instantly calming the ache there. Itachi sighed contently as the pain slowly drifted away. Sakura suddenly gasped and her chakra left his body. His eyes flew open and he looked at her worried facial expression

"What? What's wrong?" he asked hurriedly, pushing himself up slightly so his elbows were bent and supporting his weight. Sakura didn't say a weird, instead she placed her hand calmly around Itachi's throat, her hand was slightly smaller than the bruises lining his skin but it was definitely a hand mark. Someone had tried to choke him. The feeling made her stomach clench in disgust.

As soon as Sakura's hands covered his sore throat he knew what she had seen. He knew Omei's hand had bruised him but he didn't realize it was that visible. Itachi softly wrapped his hand around her wrist and pried it away from his throat.

"I'm okay, Sakura. I'm not a porcelain doll I can take a lot more than a small bruise on my neck." This was a foreign feeling for him. He had never had to reassure someone else of his wellbeing, no one, besides his mother of course had really concerned themselves over his health that much. So the way Sakura worried over him was different. He couldn't say he didn't like it though, it was a nice enough change. It just meant she cared about him enough to worry and want to take care of him. Sakura nodded in understanding.

"Can I fade the bruises for you at least? Does your throat hurt?" She asked as he let go of her wrist.

"Hn, it hurts a little bit." He admitted "And if fading the bruises will stop you from worrying so much go ahead. But I really am fine." He said with a small smile. Sakura was happy to see the smile wasn't forced. Clearly part of him enjoyed her mother-hen nature. With a small smile of her own she set to work healing the bruises. Itachi had laid back down and let her do her thing.

000

"Nii-san, where are we going?" Sasuke asked once the three of them exited the compound and went out into the village.

"Just for a walk Sasuke." Itachi said with a smile. It had been four days since Itachi had gotten back from his mission. Sakura had noticed the pain in his eyes slowly dissipate but it was always still there a little bit. She wished he would confide in her, maybe she could help take his pain away. She knew that would never happen though. The situation obviously occurred during his mission and he would never be able to tell her about it. It was against the rules. Especially ANBU missions.

They had spent a bunch of time together and Sakura had to say she loved it. She knew she was getting too attached at this point. Whenever he would go to his clan meetings she would miss him and, quite frankly, it pissed her off. This was a mission and she was feeling things for Itachi that she wasn't supposed to, but she couldn't shove the feelings down anymore. They were stubborn and always resurfaced as soon as she would see his smile or hear his laugh. She had been lucky enough to hear that laugh more often.

The three of them sat down at a booth at the local dango shop to get out of the hot weather. Itachi order four sticks of the treat and three glasses of water.

"Sasuke." Sakura voiced, trying to get the young boys attention. When he looked up she continued "Have you ever heard your brother snort before?" she asked with a small laugh. Sasuke shook his head before looking over at his Aniki.

"Snort? No…" the boys said trailing off

"Sakura…" Itachi warned looking at her sternly, but she could see the small amount of amusement shining in his eyes. Sakura ignored his warning and wiggled her eyebrows at Sasuke.

"Wanna see him do it?" She asked with a wink. Sasuke nodded enthusiastically. Sakura immediately let her hand dive down and maneuver its way up the raven's shirt to just the right spot above his pant-line. Itachi's whole body was tense, his hands gripping the side of the table as she wiggled her finger against the soft skin there. The older man tried his hardest to hold in his laughter but it came out and much to Sakura and Sasuke's delight it was in the form of a small snort then a short bit of laughter.

The pinkette removed her hand when Sasuke got lost in a fit of boyish giggles

"Ita…chi-nii!" the boy gasped breathless "Do it again Sakura!"

"No." Itachi said trying to sound serious but couldn't help but smile at how happy and carefree his little brother was being. "No more…I have a better idea." Itachi said suddenly standing from his spot beside Sakura. He made his way around the table and watched with amusement the sudden worry in Sasuke's eyes as he approached him. "I think it's 'Tickle Sasuke Time'" Itachi said wasting no time in attacking the younger boy's side with merciless precision. The loud giggles and laughter could be heard throughout the shop making some of the other patrons turn and smile at the display.

"Aniki! Sto-ha-op!" the boy cried, tears welling in his little eyes. His laughter was infectious and Sakura found herself laughing along with him.

It was then that their order arrived and Itachi reluctantly returned to his seat. Sasuke wiped at his eyes and tried to catch his breath as Itachi pushed a glass of water so it was in front of him. Sakura glanced between the two men and smiled. Seeing them interact made her think of the future and what a shit storm it was for both of them. Mainly Sasuke as far as she could tell. They all conversed casually as Sakura and Itachi ate the sticky treat they ordered. Sakura became full pretty quickly and held up the last half eaten skewer to Itachi.

"Want the last couple?" She asked

"You don't want it?"

"No, I'm full. Besides clearly dango is your favourite dessert food." She said with a laugh while he quickly ate her leftovers.

"Oh what makes you say that?"

"The way you devoured them so quickly was a dead give-away." She said with a small laugh. Itachi smirked

"Well you aren't wrong." He admitted

000

_It was dark and silent in the room. So dark he couldn't see his hand in front of him. Itachi furrowed his brow when turning his sharingan on did nothing to help at all either. It was like he was in a dark void of nothingness. That's when heard it, the whimpering of a small child. Dread pooled in his stomach, he knew what was happening, he was trapped in this dream again. This dream his subconscious tortured him with this entire week._

_"Please." A little girl cried in the darkness_

_"Please, Itachi, don't hurt us!" Another sobbed. Itachi's hands turned to fists as he grit his teeth. He couldn't take much more of this, he was ashamed in himself. It was just a mission, he had to do it so why was his mind torturing him for it._

_"We can keep a secret, 'Tachi." Itachi recognized the calmer voice of Yunīku. Suddenly the room was a lot brighter. The walls and floor were white and bare. Itachi looked down at himself to see he was wearing is ANBU uniform, his blood splattered mask clipped to his hip._

_He glanced up sharply to see the two precious girls that refused to leave his head standing in the center of the room a few feet in front of him. Their long blonde hair was straight, tumbling over their shoulders smoothly. Yunīku's bright blue eyes and Amai's dark eyes gazed at the man in front of them._

_"Why did you hurt us?" Amai asked her small lip trembling. A sharp ache stabbed at Itachi's chest at the look of pure hurt and sadness on the girl's face. Itachi dropped to his knees in front of them, his head bowed_

_"I'm sorry!" He cried, tears pricking his eyes, he was going to cry. It had been so many years since he had cried, he had only been a little boy the last time and he had been scolded by his father for showing weakness, he had never cried since. He was weak. He couldn't complete one stupid mission without losing his hold on his emotions. Wet hot tears scalded the skin of his face as they ran down. Itachi bowed deeper in front of the two girls "I'm so very sorry Yunīku and Amai. You didn't deserve to die and I wish beyond anything I could go back in time and change things. I could have brought you back to the village, you could have been happy!"_

_"But you didn't." Yunīku said suddenly, her voice hard with something that sounded a lot like anger. Itachi's head snapped up. "You killed us! You took away our lives, because of_ you _we will never be able to grow up. It's all your fault." Itachi's tears started falling faster as each word she spoke stabbed the knife of guilt harder into his heart._

_"Itachi."_

_"I'm sorry!" he cried again clawing at the pain in his chest_

_"Itachi…."_

_"I don't deserve your forgiveness!"_

_"Itachi!"_

_Blackness surrounded Itachi again and it took him a second to realize he was waking up._

It was happening again. Sakura sat up in her bed as she watched Itachi go through his dream. The entire week he was off he had been having the same nightmare over and over again. This one was different from the time he had attacked her when she woke him. He didn't seem scared or in pain this time. No this dream made him very sad. Just two nights ago he had actually cried in his sleep. That was a major shock to her system, she had never seen a man like Itachi cry. Then again Itachi was the first guy she had ever spent so much time with, even sharing the same room. Maybe even Kakashi-sensei had his moments when no one was around. It's not something she will ever find out though.

Itachi was whimpering in his sleep again and it the sound cut at Sakura's heart. Something horrible happened during his mission a week ago and it was affecting him badly. She didn't know what could have possibly rattled Itachi so badly and she didn't think she could sit by and let the dream run its course again for the sixth night in a row.

**"** Yunīku…" he mumbled, his voice sounding broken. Who was this Yunīku? Sakura didn't recognize the name. "Sorr…Amai.." he mumbled again before a quiet sob escaped his chest. Sakura couldn't take it anymore. She had to wake him up! Even if he attacked her, this time she would be ready. She couldn't let this dream go on anymore, she couldn't let him torture himself.

Sakura stood from her bed and quickly made her way toward the troubled man. She crawled onto his bed so she was kneeling in between him and the wall. She brushed his soft bangs out of his face and her heart squeezed at the sight of the tear tracks that ran from the outer corner of his eyes before disappearing into his hairline. He was crying again. She wiped away the tears before caressing his face lightly.

"Itachi." She called softly. His chest was rapidly rising and falling with his breathing but he gave no clue that he was planning on waking up. "Itachi…" she said again, nudging his shoulder lightly. Still nothing.

"Itachi!" she called loudly giving him a harder nudge. That seemed to work as the raven bolted up right with a quiet cry. Without thinking much Sakura immediately wrapped her arms around his bare torso from her positon by his side. She was slightly in front of him so it came off as sort of an awkward hug. Soft sobs came from his mouth as reality came crashing back to him.

"You're alright Itachi, I've got you." She said softly, soothingly. She slowly lowered him back down to the bed and he gave zero resistance. When Sakura looked at his face she frowned in sadness. His eyes were squeezed shut and tears leaked continuously out of the sides of them.

Sakura guessed that he was maybe a tad embarrassed at being caught crying, but some things couldn't be helped and Sakura was the last person who would judge him for it. Sakura laid down next to him and raked her hands through his hair calmly. His breathing calmed and he turned toward her slightly. She froze as she felt his arms wrap around her and pull her impossibly close to him. His forehead rested against her upper chest and she could feel the wetness of his tears through her thin tank-top. She relaxed her body once she realized that he was showing a rare need of comfort, he trusted her enough to receive that comfort from her. She felt honoured if she was being honest with herself.

Sakura felt like it was ten minutes they sat there. Eventually Itachi's breathing calmed and his tears stopped. He had yet to release his hold on her though so Sakura pulled back slightly before reaching up with the arm that wasn't underneath Itachi's body to run it through his ebony locks again. He sighed in contentment before Sakura leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on his slightly sweaty forehead. Itachi stiffened, not expecting the feeling of her soft lips on his skin. Sakura also stiffened feeling like maybe she went too far in her efforts to comfort him.

Itachi looked up and their eyes met, their faces only inches apart from one another. Itachi didn't know if it was the whirlwind of unknown emotions running rapidly through his body or if he just didn't care anymore and wanted to try something out but his face inched closer to Sakura's, his eyes never leaving hers as he pressed his lips against hers. Itachi watched as Sakura's eyes widened to the size of saucers and time seemed to stand still at that very moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope it wasn't too soon for the kiss haha. I suppose you wont have to suffer with this cliffy seeing as I will be posting the next chapter in a few minutes xD I'm taking away all the fun by uploading so many chapters at a time.


	12. Reactions and Decisions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you don't think Itachi is too OOC in this chapter, I struggled a little with that so please don't judge me too hard Dx

_Itachi looked up and their eyes met, their faces only inches apart from one another. Itachi didn't know if it was the whirlwind of unknown emotions running rapidly through his body or if he just didn't care anymore and wanted to try something out but his face inched closer to Sakura's, his eyes never leaving hers as he pressed his lips against hers. Itachi watched as Sakura's eyes widened to the size of saucers and time seemed to stand still at that very moment._

His lips were warm as they pressed softly against hers. Sakura couldn't grasp or even begin to understand the raging emotions flowing through her. He was kissing her, which meant he returned at least a fraction of her feelings. Her lips remained unmoving and Itachi began to pull away, thinking that maybe this wasn't what she wanted.

_'No!'_ Sakura thought quickly before she moved forward, her hand coming to rest against the back of Itachi's head as she pulled him close to her again. She may not know exactly what she wanted after all this but one thing was for sure. Right at this very moment she wanted to continue to kiss the amazing man next to her. Their lips crashed together again and a small grunt of surprise escaped Itachi but he quickly recovered and kissed her back. So maybe he was right, this was something they both wanted.

His hands immediately reached up and cupped the sides of Sakura's face as their lips moved smoothly against one another's. Their eyes were shut against the onslaught of feelings coursing through their bodies. Sakura gasped when she felt the tip of Itachi's tongue touch her lips. The gasp caused her mouth to open slightly and the raven slipped his tongue inside. He sat up while Sakura moved sideways before straddling his lap. They were now face to face, their tongues brushing up against the others softly, memorizing the inside of each other's mouths. Their breathing began to pick up as Sakura's fingers wound their way into Itachi's long, ebony hair. She tugged softly at the roots making the raven suck in a sharp breath through his nose.

Their body heat spiked as Sakura felt Itachi's hands trail down from her face, to her neck and down her sides, only to rest lightly on her hips. His long pale finger gripped the soft curves of her hips before pulling her closer. The sound of a bedroom door opening across the hall shocked the pinkette out of their mindless make-out session like someone poured a bucket of cold water over her head. She suddenly scrambled off Itachi's lap, her breathing still heavy from their activities. Sakura looked at Itachi with wide eyes. His eyes were slightly hooded with what she could only guess was desire and Sakura would be lying if she said she wasn't turned on as well. But this was wrong. They couldn't do this. She was on a mission, but at this moment she wanted to continue, she wanted to kiss this man until their lips were bruised and neither of them could take it anymore.

Itachi watched Sakura's mind reel from her spot at the end of the bed. Her eyes were wide as she stared at him. As the situation wound down and the awkward silence consumed them, Itachi flopped down onto his back with an exasperated sigh. He pulled the blanket over himself so just his lower body was covered.

"Itachi…" Sakura said, her voice sounding shaky. "I want to continue…but we can't." she finished, her voice trembling with something. Itachi rose up onto his elbows to look at her. His brow furrowed, it sounded like she was about to cry but her eyes were dry.

"Why can't we?" he asked raising an eyebrow. "Look Sakura, I don't know what I feel for you but I can honestly say no girl has ever made me feel like this before." Itachi continued his voice beginning to sound more and more confused. A lump formed in Sakura's throat at the look of sheer uncertainty on Itachi's face.

"We can't." Sakura said again. Her mind wandered to the sound of the bedroom door they heard moments ago and she knew what excuse she could use without giving anything away about her mission. "Your father would never approve for one and if he ever found out we were together he would kick me out. If I get kicked out I'll be homeless." Itachi frowned at that.

"I don't care what my father thinks. He thinks I will be marrying someone from our clan. That's usually how it goes. I will be clan head soon and I'll need a wife eventually. I don't agree with arranged marriages. I want to marry the person I love, I don't want her to be chosen for me." He paused "You're right though, not only would my father disapprove but the clan elders would forbid it."

Sakura slumped in relief, yet at the same time disappointment when it sounded like Itachi was agreeing with her.

"However," He continued "Do you really want more than friendship with me?" he asked looking at her steadily. Her eyes widened slightly. She did want to be more than friends with him, but what if she said that and he wouldn't take no for an answer? Then her plan of avoiding all this would be for nothing. "I can tell if you're lying to me, Sakura. So don't even try." He warned. With a sigh Sakura gave him an answer.

"Yes, I would like more than friendship with you." She said honestly, breaking their eye contact. "But it won't work." He was silent for a few moments as if considering what she said. The silence forced her to look up and lock eyes with him again. He was sitting up now, his legs crossed and his forearms resting on the tops of his thighs; supporting his upper body as he looked at her. She swallowed at the intense, unreadable emotion in his eyes.

"One date." He said finally. Sakura frowned

"What?"

"Go on one date with me." He said again. Her eyes widened.

"Itachi we can't-" Suddenly he was right next to her looking at her with another unreadable expression. She blushed when his hand came up to cup the side of her face. His thumb rubbed the soft skin of her cheek gently as he continued to look her in the eye. The pinkette couldn't look away. Her mind was screaming no, that this was a bad idea. Going on even one date would string their feelings along and make it harder to separate in the future. Sakura knew, even if Itachi didn't that she wouldn't be around for much longer. The massacre happened in about four more months, regardless of the outcome she would be going home and back to her own time. But the uncharacteristic warmth in his expression made her go against her better judgement.

"Yes." She whispered "One date." She allowed. Itachi smiled then. The genuine way his lips stretched and his dark eyes lit up took Sakura's breath away. He was smiling at her, because of her. His expression was contagious and she felt her own lips mirror his. She couldn't deny that this was what she wanted, but the nagging feeling in the back of her head that told her they would both end up hurt in the end continued to bug her. For now though, she would push that feeling away and see what happened after their first date.

A gasp escaped Sakura suddenly when Itachi's lips pressed against hers again. Her hand reached up to lay gently against the side of his neck before her eyes fluttered shut and she surrendered to the feelings he elicited inside her. It was an innocent kiss and soon he pulled back, his smile still firmly on his face.

"Thank you." He murmured pressing their foreheads together. This Itachi she was witnessing now was even more caring and gentle then the man she was around the entire time she had been here. She would be lying if she said she didn't enjoy it far too much. She answered his thank you with a small smile before she pulled away.

"We should go to bed." She said then and got off the bed to return to her spot on the floor. A hand grasping her wrist lightly, stopped her in her tracks.

"Stay?" He asked suddenly, sadness filling those dark eyes again. Her eyes widened in shock. He wanted her to share his bed? Sakura was about to refuse but the sadness in his eyes made her stop. She knew he was thinking about his dream again.

"Itachi." She whispered before taking a step forward so she was right beside the bed. She laid her hand against the side of his face lightly and watched with surprise as he leant into her touch slightly.

"What happened on that mission? What is haunting you so badly?" she paused as he opened his mouth to no doubt tell her he couldn't say anything "You can tell me without divulging vital information." She informed him. His eyes lowered to look at his lap. Itachi reached up and removed her hand from his face and grasped it tightly in his. He was silent as he tugged her toward him, gesturing with a jerk of his head for her to lay down with him on the bed. She did with little hesitation and got comfortable with him spooning her from behind.

The silence in the room continued after Itachi had placed the blanket over them both and Sakura gave up on him saying anything to her about his mission. She was just about to drift off, encompassed by Itachi's warmth behind her, when his soft, sad voice filled the silence.

"I had to kill two innocents." Itachi shortly explained. Sakura stiffened before turning toward him.

"Itachi, that happens a lot. Don't beat yourself up over i-"

"They were both children." He interrupted, his eyes haunted. Sakura gasped. "I've never had to kill a child before…" he said his voice filled with pain. Sakura had never seen such raw emotion on Itachi's face before. It was alarming. The pinkette had no idea what to say to help sooth him.

"Itachi…" she said her voice sad. "I'm so sorry." She whispered wrapping her arm around his shoulder before pulling his warm body toward her in a one armed hug. She felt him bury his face into her neck and hair before inhaling deeply.

"I'm such a monster." He ground out, his voice thick with emotion. Sakura suddenly pulled back and gave him a stern look

"No!" she said adamantly. "You are _not_ a monster!" He simply looked at her blankly and Sakura knew he didn't believe her.

"Itachi, I have never killed a child but I can only imagine the torture you are going through. But we, as ninja, have to do what we have to do. Sometimes the things we do aren't that bad but others eat away at us forever. What you did was not your fault! So let it go, don't torture yourself anymore. Please." She begged. He looked into her emerald green orbs and gave her a short nod. It wasn't as easy as she made it sound but he knew in some way she was correct. He knew it wasn't right for him to beat himself up over it. But the guilt of taking away those precious girls' lives will always haunt him. The trick was to push the painful memory aside and move on. But never would he forget them.

After Sakura was satisfied that her words had at least a little bit of an effect on the raven she snuggled closer to his warmth and sighed contently. She felt right, she felt safe in his arms and no longer did her feelings shock or worry her, because Itachi seemed to feel the exact same about her.

"Goodnight." She whispered into his chest. She felt his chin rest on the top of her head.

"Goodnight." He replied, the rumble of his chest vibrating against Sakura's cheek as she slowly nodded off into a comfortable sleep.

000

Itachi's eyes opened only to be assaulted by the morning sun. Squinting slightly as he waited for his eyes to adjust he noticed something warm curled into his side. He craned his neck awkwardly toward the being beside him and realized it was Sakura. At some point during the night she had moved further down and curled into him. Her right arm was thrown over his stomach and her face was buried in his side, her soft breath coming out in puffs against his skin. She was still fast asleep and he watched with slight interest, resisting the urge to smirk as he felt her face nuzzle impossibly deeper into his side as if unconsciously seeking the warmth his body gave off.

Sakura began to feel her senses come back to her, she noticed her face felt warm. The smell her nose was picking up was a very masculine scent. A mixture of the woods surrounding Konoha, the trees and earth and something else she couldn't quite put her finger on. Her arm was wrapped around something too solid and warm to be a pillow. Her eyes cracked open and the first thing she saw was skin. The memories of the night before flooded back to her and she knew she was currently curled into Itachi side. The small smile that curved her lips surprised her a little and she figured out pretty quickly that she enjoyed waking up like this. Without further ado she pulled away from the man and looked up only to lock eyes with his dark orbs.

"Good morning." She said with a smile. Itachi grinned at her.

"Good morning." He answered before sitting up. Sakura followed suit and stretched her muscles, they were slightly cramped from her previous position.

Both of them quickly got ready for the day and made their way downstairs only to be greeted by a cheery Mikoto.

"Good morning, you two!" She said setting two places at the table for them to eat breakfast.

"Morning," they both answered making everyone, aside from Fugaku, laugh lightly at their synchronization. The family talked quietly about plans for the day and Mikoto suddenly gasped

"Oh have you all heard the good news!?" She asked putting her chopsticks down on the top of her empty bowl. "Konoha and the cloud village have signed an alliance with each other. So there is a small festival being prepared for two days from now. Would you like to go to it Sasuke?" Mikoto asked her youngest son watching his eyes light up.

"Yes please, Kaa-san." He said sounding excited. She smiled nodding before looking at Sakura and Itachi "What about you two? Will you be attending it?" Sakura glanced at Itachi as he too placed his chopsticks on top of his empty bowl, signalling he was finished his meal.

"Yes, I'm sure we will end up going for a bit."

"Tou-san will you be going with us?" Sasuke asked with wide, yet guarded eyes. Sakura internally frowned knowing Sasuke was expecting an automatic no. But Fugaku surprised them all with his answer

"I might, I don't think I have anything special planned that day." He said putting his elbows on the table and resting his chin on his folded hands. Sasuke's eyes lit up like he had just received the greatest gift ever. The reaction elicited small smiles out of Sakura, Mikoto and even Itachi as they observed.

"Now I'm excited!" Mikoto admitted her own eyes lighting up slightly.

000

For an event that was thrown together in only two days' time, it was well done. Sakura and Itachi strolled through the streets of Konoha taking in the pretty lights and smiling faces of all the shop owners who had stayed open extra late for the special night. Not one person around them seemed unhappy as they participated in the children's games around them. The lovely sound of children laughing and running around brought a smile to the pinkette's face. Itachi and Sakura both decided they would go to the festival alone together and make it their first date. It seemed like the perfect setting for a date if Sakura was being honest and it made her think that this last minute event was fate. Maybe their date was meant to happen.

Both of them were munching on their chosen dinners, Sakura ate Yakika which was squid smothered in aromatic soya sauce and grilled on a skewer. Itachi was also eating off of a skewer but his was Yakitori, which was grilled chicken. They walked in comfortable silence, not getting too close as neither wanted anyone to begin to suspect there was something more than friendship between them. That made things difficult considering this was indeed a date, it was just different than most dates. They would have to wait until they were out of the eye of the public to really show any affection. Besides Itachi didn't seem to be the affectionate type, in public at least.

"Sak, sweetheart where are you going?" That voice made Sakura freeze in place and discreetly look around them in mild panic. Itachi stopped too once he realized Sakura had ceased movement. That was the voice of her mother. It didn't take Sakura long to spot the woman who was chasing a seven year old Sakura around a game table, her father quickly following calling her by the short version of her name. Suddenly Sakura grabbed Itachi's wrist and pulled him forward lightly, they had to get out of there before Itachi saw the miniature version of herself.

"Sakura?" Itachi asked, confusion clear in his voice as he allowed her to tug him along somewhere.

"I know a perfect place where we can watch the fireworks." She said as a short explanation. Sakura slowed to a fast paced walk and was happy she had worn a small dress instead of a yukata like she was planning on doing. She wouldn't have been able to run in a yukata, that's for sure. Itachi wasn't dressed up much either, he wore his black, high collared t-shirt with the Uchiha fan sewn on the back paired with his navy blue shinobi pants, mid-calf leg wrappings and shinobi sandals. Sakura still thought he looked handsome though, his dark black hair tied into a loose pony-tail that rested softly over his shoulder. His bangs, as always, framed his face perfectly.

Itachi smiled when they eventually made it to the top of Hokage Mountain. There was a flat part of the mountain directly behind the carved faces of the hokage.

"I suppose this would be a perfect place to watch the fireworks." Itachi agreed grinning at Sakura who was beside him. He frowned when he saw the expression on the pinkette's face. She looked sad as she stared at the center aread of the flat ground. Itachi moved toward her and grasped her hand in his. "What's wrong?" he asked looking at the place her eyes were fixated on, there wasn't anything there though. Suddenly Sakura seemed to snap out of it before giving his hand a tiny squeeze. She smiled and Itachi was happy to see it wasn't forced

"Nothing just thinking about something." She said truthfully. Being up here, Sakura didn't think it would trigger the memory of Sasuke's execution. The pinkette had forgotten this was where it had taken place. She forced down the sadness that came with that memory and focused on the remaining time of her night with Itachi. They both chose a spot on the ground to sit next to each other that had the perfect view of the entire village.

Sakura took in the beauty of the view they had. The lights from the festival twinkled nicely in the dark of the night, the loudness of the villagers could be heard all the way up here but it was kind of soothing. Sakura found herself scooting closer to her partner and resting her head softly on his shoulder. She missed Itachi's smirk before he lifted his arm to wrap around her shoulders and pull her even closer.

"You know, I don't know very much about you, Itachi." Sakura murmured after a moment of comfortable silence. The raven let out a small chuckle rubbing his hand up and down her right arm where it still rested over her shoulder.

"What would you like to know?" He asked curiously. He hoped she asked questions he could actually answer

"Hm. What's your favourite colour?" she asked making Itachi grin in surprise

"That's…a small question."

"Still a good question." She pointed out with a small laugh, still looking out at the view.

"Okay, my favourite colour would have to be red." Sakura's eyes widened

"It's not blue? Or Black?" she asked shocked. Seeing as that's all he wears she figured that's the colour he would like most. He grinned

"No, my entire clan wears those colours, that doesn't mean they are my favourite."

"Hm. Okay favourite food?"

"Dango." He said without hesitation. Sakura laughed making Itachi smile at the reaction.

"I knew that, what about actual food, not dessert." She elaborated

"Rice balls with seaweed." He said easily.

"Least favourite?" Itachi wrinkled his nose slightly before answering

"That would have to be steak." He said making Sakura laugh at the loathing look on his handsome face. She moved on with the other thing she wanted to know.

"Tell more about yourself? I've heard rumors that you are the prodigy of the Uchiha clan." She said looking up at him with a curious look on her face. His eyes narrowed playfully

"You want to know my whole life story?" he asked somewhat cautiously.

"The quick version." She paused still looking at him "Only if you want though." She added. Itachi shrugged, he supposed there really wasn't much harm in telling her.

"Well I guess I should start from the beginning." He began a far off look in his eye. "At age 7 I graduated from the Academy. I mastered my Sharingan at age 8 and passed the chunin exams at the age of 10." He paused taking a breath before continuing in his brief overview of his life "I was then enrolled in Anbu half a year after the chunin exams and became an Anbu captain at the age of 13. I am now 17 years old and well-"He paused again "Still going strong I suppose." He blinked slightly at the awed look on the pinkette's face once he finished.

"Wow." She said her green eyes wide and sparkling. "That's amazing!" she exclaimed "I had no idea just how talented you really were." Itachi frowned making her stop short

"Well it's not all it's cracked up to be, Sakura." He explained looking off into the dark sky. "I was kind of forced to grow up really quickly, I didn't get to enjoy really any of my childhood."

"I'm sorry." Sakura said after a moment of silence making Itachi lock eyes with her again.

"It's fine. I've come to accept it." He said smiling as reassurance. "Anyways, enough about me. Tell me about you." He said trying to get them on another topic. Sakura was about to open her mouth when they were interrupted by a loud boom and burst of light in the sky in front of them as the fireworks started. Sakura snuggled closer to Itachi's warmth before glancing at him with a small grin.

"We will save my life story for the second date. Is that okay with you?" She asked with a cheeky grin. Itachi's lips curved in a genuine smile. There was going to be a second date. He liked the sound of that. He nodded, answering her question.

"I'd like that." He said pulling her close and kissing the side of her head softly. She giggled lightly before looking back at the beautiful display of light happening before them. Sakura knew this couldn't last forever but right now, she was feeling a little selfish. She was allowed to be selfish once in a while right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some people may think this is moving too fast for Itachi and Sakura but keep in mind we have four months left until Sakura leaves. And at LEAST two of those months will be filled with Sakura's mission soooo their romance needs to move along a little. I apologize if this bothers some people :( I didn't mean for it to.


	13. Surprise Attacks & Injuries

Watching Shisui and Itachi spar was amazing. There was never a dull moment or a standstill. They went at each other for an hour and a half straight. That large amount of time however led them to their current positions. Itachi was laying on his back, chest heaving with his rapid breathing. Shisui was on his hands and knees beside the raven also breathing rather heavily. They were both low on chakra and about ready to collapse.

"They're at 4 to 5 now." Akarui said with a small smile and shake of her head. "Shisui-nii is now in the lead." She sighed.

"They are entertaining to watch." Sakura admitted with a small laugh. Both girls watched as the two men stood from their exhausted positions on the ground.

"That was a good one." Shisui grinned bumping his fist with Itachi's once the younger raven had stood up.

"Agreed." Itachi smirked with a small sigh.

Both men were chatting amongst themselves as they began to make their way toward Sakura and Akarui.

"Okay, I think we are gonna get going." Shisui said, sidling up to his sister.

"Yea." Itachi said walking up to Sakura's side. The pinkette smiled at him as Itachi spoke again. "We will see you both later?" he asked.

"Sure." Akarui smiled "We should all go out for dinner or something soon."

"That would be fun!" Sakura agreed. Sakura liked Akarui, the girl was fun to be around. She seemed to have a slightly more serious personality than her brother but was still able to have fun. The pinkette could see herself finding a friend in the younger girl. Hopefully when all this was over she would still be alive in Sakura's time.

Once the four parted ways, Itachi and Sakura made their way back to the house. Sakura stepped closer to Itachi's side and sneakily snuck her hand into his. They clasped their hands together tightly and Itachi smiled at her as they continued to walk through the many trees around them. It was nice to be connected so simply like this, they couldn't do this in public or in the view of anyone other than Shisui and Akarui, who by the way, were all for their relationship. Shisui was convinced that Sakura was good for his cousin. Apparently she would be able to bring him out of his shell a little more.

They were currently taking the back way home so they would enter the house through the backyard, meaning they would be out of the public eye for pretty much their entire journey back.

"So you still up for our date tonight?" Sakura found herself asking while they walked. Itachi smirked

"Of course. I'll just need to shower and maybe take a little bit of a nap." He admitted.

"That's okay." Sakura answered "Maybe I'll take a nap with you….if you want me to." She said looking up at him. He smiled

"That would be nice." He admitted easily.

It had been about a week and a half since their first date and Sakura found herself getting excited for their second. Then again part of her was nervous because she knew she would have to tell him about herself and she was worried that she would slip up somewhere and blow her cover. If she continued to worry about that though she wouldn't have a good time and she really wanted to enjoy her time spent with Itachi. She was smart, she just had to pay attention. So far the plans for the evening were pretty much dinner and a movie. They would go to the movie first then dinner afterward. Itachi gave Sakura the choice as to where they ate and she had surprisingly chosen Ichiraku ramen.

The two of them entered the back yard of the house and Sakura found herself yet again in awe of how beautiful it was. There was a small koi pond with a little bridge that went over it in the centre. There were small paths that weaved around all the pretty flowers. Sakura especially enjoyed the large cherry blossom tree in the back corner of the yard.

"Does your mom maintain all this?" Sakura asked curiously as Itachi let go of her hand. The entire time she was here she had only seen Mikoto out here every so often.

"Sometimes." He answered. "But seeing as she is the matriarch of our clan she gets busy sometimes so a lot of our neighbors will pitch in and help. I'm actually surprised she hasn't sent you out here to work yet." He said with a laugh as they entered the back door that led into the tearoom.

"Me too honestly." Sakura admitted, noticing the silence in the house. "Is no one home again?" Sakura asked curiously.

"That seems to be the case." Itachi said almost sounding relieved. "Now I don't have to summon Tsuki when I take a shower." Sakura laughed and thought back to her little search of the house three or so weeks ago. Even if she was alone, at this point she knew it was futile to snoop around.

After Itachi had his shower he returned to his bedroom in nothing but a loose pair of grey track pants that hung low on his hips. Sakura, who was lounging back on his bed, sat up to admire the way the small droplets of water from the shower shone before they ran down his pale skin. Itachi was currently towel drying his long dark hair as he walked over to his dresser and grabbed his brush. Sakura stood and walked up behind him.

"May I?" she asked pointing toward the brush in his hand. He raised an eyebrow

"You want to brush my hair?" he asked with a small laugh. The pinkette nodded, blushing slightly

"If you're okay with it, yes." Itachi smirked before handing her the brush and damp towel in his hand

"Okay." He said before going to sit on the bed. Sakura grinned and followed him kneeling behind him, also on the bed. His hair was still pretty wet so she dried it more with the towel before tossing it to the floor and beginning to run the brush through the long black locks. Itachi's eyes closed letting the soothing feeling of the bristles on his scalp calm him.

Sakura enjoyed the feeling of brushing his hair it was intimate yet not too intimate. Something told her Itachi hadn't had his hair brushed by someone else in a really long time, but if the way his shoulders were slumped forward and the calmness of his breathing said anything she would guess he enjoyed the feeling. She suddenly sighed dramatically and Itachi asked her what was wrong.

"I'm jealous." She admitted with a small pout. Itachi laughed but without turning around spoke again

"And what do you have to be jealous about?" He asked curiously

"Your hair is amazing. I used to have long hair but it never was this nice, how do you keep it so soft and healthy?" Sakura missed the look of slight confusion on Itachi's face as he shrugged

"I'm not too sure." He admitted "I just use the shampoo and conditioner my mother buys for me." He paused as if thinking before he spoke again "I think I'd like you with long hair." He concluded with a sharp nod of his head.

"Oh really? Why is that?"

"I like your pink hair, it's beautiful and accents your eyes nicely. More of it would be even better." He said with a grin. Sakura placed the brush beside her after she had thoroughly combed out the tangles in his hair. She ran a hand through her hair and noticed it was sort of getting longer already.

"Well I was actually going to get your mother to cut my hair this week sometime," She said leaning forward to rest her chin on his right shoulder. "Maybe, instead, I'll just grow it out for you." She suggested with a small smile. Itachi looked over at her the best he could and gave her a smile.

"I'd like that."

"Good." Sakura said laying a soft kiss on the side of his pale neck before pulling back and taking his soft hair in her hands. "Can I braid your hair?" she asked curiously. Itachi wrinkled his nose a bit before shaking his head and handing her a small red elastic.

"No, thanks. Just put it in the elastic?" he asked. She pouted again but nodded and put it in his usual low ponytail.

"Okay." He suddenly turned around. "Nap time." He said before wrapping his arm around Sakura's stomach and pulling her across the bed with him before they both laid down. Sakura smiled at him before pushing herself up and laying a soft kiss on his lips.

"Hm…kay" she murmured against his lips before laying down and getting comfortable.

000

"That…wasn't a bad movie." Sakura said as the couple walked down the street toward the ramen shop.

"Hn. I've seen better." Itachi said with a laugh. Sakura was itching to grab a hold of the raven's hand but knew they were in public and with a sigh she stuffed her hands into the pockets of the black shorts she was wearing. "So why Ichiraku?" Itachi asked curiously as they turned a corner.

"I don't know…really good ramen?" she said phrasing it more like a question.

"They do have really good ramen." Itachi agreed as they arrived at their destination. Itachi moved the cloth hanging from the roof of the shop aside so Sakura could go in and take a seat on one of the stools.

"Itachi," The very familiar man behind the counter greeted warmly "Where is little Sasuke?" he asked before his eyes landed on Sakura.

"Couldn't make it this time, so I brought another guest." The Uchiha explained easily.

"And who might this guest be?" he asked curiously with a knowing look in his eye.

"I'm Fuyuga Sakura." She introduced herself with a smile.

"You must be one special girl." The man said raising his eye brows

"Why is that?"

"I think this is the first time I have ever seen Uchiha Itachi out with a girl." He explained making the pinkette blush prettily before glancing over at Itachi.

"Well," she began looking back in front of her "We aren't together or anything if that's what you're trying to get at. Just friends." She said sounding convincing. The older man smiled knowingly

"Okay, sure, sure." He paused turning his attention to Itachi. "She's a pretty one, Uchiha. You better treat her right." He said with a laugh. Itachi almost rolled his eyes, hiding his smirk.

"Hn."

"Anyways, what can I get for you two?"

000

"So…tell me about yourself. What's your favourite colour, food, and least favourite food?" Itachi shot off quickly as he took a few of the ramen noodles into his mouth. Sakura sighed at the taste of their dinner, Ichiraku ramen hadn't changed a bit even ten years from now. It was still just as good.

"Hm, favourite food would be syrup-coated dumplings and pickled plumbs. Least favourite food…" she trailed off thinking. "Nothing specific just anything spicy." Itachi nodded

"Favourite colour?" he asked after a moment. Sakura gave him a teasing look

"Guess?" she suggested.

"Hm…pink?" Itachi laughed at the way her nose scrunched up cutely in distaste. "Okay so not pink. How about red?" Sakura shook her head "White?"

"White isn't a colour, it's a shade." The pinkette pointed out. Itachi laughed

"True. Okay fine…what is it then? I give up."

"Green." She said taking another bite of her food. She missed the smile Itachi gave her.

"Just like your eyes." He pointed out making Sakura look over at him. She saw the small smile that curved his lips and it made her feel warm inside.

"I suppose so." She grinned. Itachi was about to ask another question when out of nowhere a man in ANBU attire appeared directly next to Itachi. The raven didn't even flinch as he turned toward the man beside him.

"Uchiha Itachi the hokage requests your presence immediately."

"Okay thank you." Itachi said standing as the man nodded and disappeared. Itachi paid for their food and turned to Sakura.

"I'm assuming this is a mission so I'll see you at home in a bit to grab my things." He paused a frown marring his face. "Sorry our night got cut short."

"It okay." She said with a reassuring smile, she totally understood. Things happen.

"I believe my parents are home so…" he trailed off weaving a few hand signs and summoned Tsuki. "He is needed." He finished before disappearing. Sakura sighed and quickly finished the last of her ramen before saying goodbye to the man behind the counter and left.

000

Itachi came home about five minutes after Sakura got up to their room. He didn't have time to say much as he gathered his uniform and Katana, all he said was it was an emergency mission and he was unsure when he would be back. After giving him a kiss Sakura told him to be careful.

"Always am." He said with a grin before opening his bedroom window and jumping out onto the roof. Sakura didn't feel right about all this. Something felt wrong. Shaking off her worry she left the bedroom to join the family downstairs.

Mikoto and Sasuke were playing a board game when Sakura entered the tea room. Fugaku was nowhere in sight as usual. Mikoto noticed Tsuki on Sakura's shoulder and raised a delicate brow.

"Where is Itachi?" she asked confused.

"He was sent on an emergency mission or something." Sakura explained.

"Oh, well would you like to join us?" She offered and Sakura smiled.

"I'd love to." She said sitting down next to Sasuke. The three of them played for a little while, talking about their days and how they went.

"So Sasuke…" Sakura said reaching over to pinch the boy's cheek gently.

"Hey!" He pouted rubbing at the side of his face "Why'd you do that?" He asked

"Can't help it. You're just too cute. Besides your cheeks are so pinch-able!"

"She's right, Sasuke." Mikoto grinned at the look on her little boys face.

"But what I was going to say is, how is that fireball jutsu coming?" she asked. The mild sting of his cheek was long forgotten as a sort of excitement took over his expression.

"Really good!" he admitted with a smile. "It's almost ready for me to show it to tou-san!" he exclaimed. Sakura smiled.

"That's good to hear, I'd like to see it again sometime."

"Oh can I come too?" Mikoto asked, her warm loving smile in place as she looked at Sasuke. His eyes brightened even more.

"Of course kaa-san!" he said getting excited.

"Great, I can't wait." She admitted. "I'm proud of you Sasuke." She said watching as her youngest son's grin widened. She then reached over and pinched his other cheek. Making him pout again before glaring at his mother.

"Kaaaaa-saaaan!" He whined. Mikoto looked thoughtful for a minute.

"Sakura, you're right, they are pinch-able." The two women looked at each other with twin smirks before they both lunged forward over the small table that the board game was still perched on and pinched each side of the tiny raven's cheeks at the same time, making him scream in protest at the teasing treatment. His reaction made both Sakura and Mikoto lose themselves in a fit of girlish giggles making Sasuke once again cross his arms and pout at them. This, of course, only made them laugh harder.

000

"So who do you think it is? Mist ninja?" Shisui asked jumping through the trees next to Itachi. Their masks were firmly in place, the wind pulling their hair back.

"Don't know." Itachi said shortly pushing himself forward "We will have to wait and see." Genma appeared next to Itachi as they continued forward "We are getting close…pay attention."

"Hai." The other two men acknowledged before intently staring ahead. Itachi eyes widened slightly at the view ahead of them on the trees.

"Drop down, paper bombs ahead." He ordered before landing softly into a small clearing, Genma and Shisui following after. The three men tensed when they felt the presence of two people in front of them. Itachi and Shisui both reached back to remove their weapons just as the two enemies exited the trees.

"No way…" Shisui said in awe as none other than Orochimaru, one of the legendary Sannin appeared in front of them. Next to him was short hunched over looking person with a cloth covering half of his face. Shisui and Itachi took out their weapons completely, their sharingan having been activated a while ago.

Itachi was taking in the cloaked figures appearance intently and with his sharingan he could see a lot of chakra strings coming from it. He secretly followed those strings with his eyes making sure not to move his head so their opponents wouldn't know he was looking. Itachi stomach dropped when he saw the shadowed figures surrounding the clearing, all attached to those strings. They were dealing with a puppeteer and judging by how many he seemed to be able to control at once, they were also dealing with a highly skilled one at that.

"Fall back…" Itachi whispered quiet enough so only his team could hear him. "It's an ambush."

"I sincerely hope you aren't thinking of running, Uchiha Itachi." Orochimaru said with a creepy grin on his face. "I came here especially for you and your cousin there, after all."

"Remember our deal…" the mystery puppeteer grumbled lowly in the direction of his partner.

"Yes, yes. You will get Uchiha Shisui for your puppet collection." Orochimaru answered rolling his eyes dramatically.

"What do you want with my cousin and I?" Itachi found himself asking. Orochimaru grinned again

"I need you for my experiments. I've been wanting you for quite some time now, Itachi."

"And what the hell do you want with me?" Shisui barked from beside his captain. Orochimaru laughed lightly.

"Well you see, when I planned this ambush I knew I could never take you both on alone. Not to mention you also have a third teammate. So I enlisted the help of my partner Sasori here." He paused to jab a thumb at the…thing beside him. Orochimaru took on a somewhat bored looking stance, his arms crossing over his chest "Of course, he doesn't give out favors, he always needs something in return. So seeing as I only need you, Itachi, I promised him Shisui's body to add to his puppet collection."

Itachi didn't need to see underneath Shisui mask to know the man had a look of disgust on his face.

"You use live bodies for your puppets?" Shisui asked clearly grossed out.

"Well." Sasori spoke up "They are dead before I make them into puppets but yes, they are real human bodies." He explained, a sense of pride in his voice. Itachi didn't miss the shiver of disgust that racked Shisui's body at the thought.

"Anyways, enough chit-chat." Orochimaru said before clapping his hands together once, his tongue licking his lips as he eyed Itachi. "Let's get this over with."

All at once the puppets came at the three man team. Itachi, Shisui and Genma put their backs against each other, weapons ready as they prepared to fight.

000

Pain throbbed through Shisui's entire body, his wounds still bleeding as he jumped from roof to roof, the barely alive body of Genma draped over his left shoulder. He had to make it to the hospital in time. He glanced behind him to make sure Itachi was still following and cursed. He wasn't behind him anymore. His cousin was far more injured than Shisui was but Genma was their first priority right now, if they didn't get him to the hospital he would die. Shisui just hoped Itachi didn't collapse somewhere.

Shisui appeared in the middle of the hallway of the hospital, collapsing to his knees as the weight of Genma's body proved to be too much for him now. Two nurses shrieked in surprise at his sudden appearance before jumping into action and removing the heavily wounded patient off Shisui's shoulder.

"What's his name?" The nurse asked looking at Shisui's masked face intently as the other hospital staff placed Genma's broken body onto a gurney.

"Shiranui Genma." Shisui answered before standing up on shaky legs.

"Are you injured?" The nurse asked placing her hand gently on his arm. Shisui shook his head

"No. None of this is my blood." He lied easily "Besides there is something else I need to take care of."

"It's mandatory for you to get a checkup." She told him almost sternly. Shisui smirked behind his mask.

"I'll be back, I promise." He said before disappearing into thin air making her roll her eyes.

000

Sakura shot up in bed when a loud bang echoed through the room. She glanced at the window to see Itachi's hand desperately fumbling for the latch on the window to open in. Sakura almost smiled but it fell flat when she realized that his hands were bloody. She knew this because he was currently smearing the red liquid onto the glass of the window as he attempted to open it with his shaking hands.

The pinkette was up from the floor and over at the window in two seconds flat. Her heart was hammering in her chest as she unlatched the window for him and watched as he weakly jumped in with a grunt of what Sakura guessed as pain. The man slowly straightened from his slightly hunched over position and looked at Sakura.

"Itachi are-"Oh no, he felt dizzy. His vision grew hazy and the pain in his chest and stomach seemed to disappear as he felt himself falling.

"Itachi!" He heard Sakura yell before everything went dark.


	14. Saved

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry , I didn't realize I left the last chapter as a cliffy o_o Here are five more chapters!

"Itachi!" Sakura cried as his entire weight collapsed on top of her. She managed to catch him and keep both of them upright before she awkwardly shifted him around the room until she could gently lay him onto his bed. She immediately set to work, removing his vest and none too gently ripping his blood soaked shirt down the middle to reveal his chest and stomach. There was a lot of blood smeared around his pale skin and she had a hard time figuring out where his wounds were. She quickly turned the bedside lamp on before again trying to take in his injuries. There was a large gash across his stomach and another on his chest. It looked like maybe a sword did it, she couldn't tell.

Suddenly the bedroom door burst open and Mikoto ran in followed quickly by Fugaku. Tsukino was silently observing the events unfolding in front of him from the corner of the room. Mikoto's eyes widened and she was over at Sakura's side in an instant.

"What happened, we need to get him to the hospital," she said frantically, taking in his injuries and unconscious form.

"No I need to stop the bleeding now. It's okay, I'm a medical ninja I can do this. I need towels though, rubbing alcohol and bandages." Mikoto watched her for a second before jumping into action and running out the room in search for the supplies Sakura needed. Sakura's heart was pounding as adrenaline coursed through her making her go into medic mode as she tightened her messy pony tail to make sure no hair fell into her face.

"Here are the towels, I'll go get everything else for you," Mikoto said leaving the room again. Sakura carefully cleaned the blood off around the wounds so she could see them better before tossing the now soiled towel to the side of the bed. She stood hands hovering over his chest to begin healing the wound when Fugaku decided to finally speak up.

"We are taking him to the hospital. You aren't fit to heal him," he said taking a step forward. Sakura bit back the need to defend herself against his false accusations as healing chakra began to flow from her hands.

"If you take him to the hospital now he will bleed out. He has already lost too much blood and has passed out because of it, i-"

"No we are taking him now!"

Maybe it was the feeling of fear she had for Itachi's sake at that moment, even though she knew he would be okay. It could be the stress or maybe a bit of both but something snapped inside of Sakura and without stopping her healing treatment her head whipped over to look at the infuriating man a little ways away from her.

"No! You will let me help him! Contrary to your belief Uchiha- _sama,_ I am _very_ capable of helping your son here. So if you would kindly _back the hell off_ and let me save him that would be _fantastic_!" she bit out before moving her head to look back at her work. Fugaku looked mildly shocked at her small outburst. He also looked like he wanted to snap back at her but surprising kept everything to himself and took a step back to observe. She put all her concentration on healing Itachi's wounds and as her healing chakra reached deeply into the gash she froze. Oh no….

"Mikoto!" Sakura cried her stomach dropping slightly. Mikoto rushed back into the room, the supplies Sakura wanted being held in her arms.

"What, what is it?" she asked

"He's been poisoned," she said making Mikoto gasp "I need two bowls. One needs to be full of water and the other empty. I need to get most of this poison out before we can take him to the hospital," Sakura ordered thinking back to the last time she had to do this to Kankuro from the sand village when he was poisoned by…Sasori from the Akatsuki. This must be Sasori's work then. Sakura just hoped to kami it wasn't as lethal of a poison as it was when she treated Kankuro. The logical part of her mind told her it couldn't have been and that Itachi wouldn't die here purely because he was still alive ten years from now. But the emotional side of her mind was still worried about him.

"Fugaku-sama. I need your help," she said gritting her teeth as she said that. The last thing she wanted to do was ask for his help. But she needed it. Someone needed to hold Itachi down when she begun retracting the poison, assuming the pain woke him.

"What do you need?" he asked his voice slightly strained sounding, it seems he liked this just as much as Sakura did.

"It's a very painful procedure to get this poison out so I'm going to need you to hold Itachi down and make sure he doesn't move." As she was waiting for Mikoto to return she quickly closed up the two big wounds on his chest and stomach and decided to leave the smaller lacerations open so she could get at the poison in his body.

"Shit, so he did come back here."

Sakura and Fugaku both looked over toward the window where Shisui had just jumped in from. He slumped against the wall and slid down into a sitting position with a grunt.

"Shisui, what happened?" Sakura asked as Mikoto came back into the room with the two bowls. The older woman placed them both on the bedside table before going over to Shisui who was clutching at his own stomach. Sakura immediately noticed all the blood covering his body but she went ahead and guessed it wasn't all his.

"We were ambushed, Itachi got the worst out of the two of us, but Genma is in really bad shape. He's at the hospital right now. I came looking for Itachi when I realized he wasn't behind me anymore. I'm glad he came here and didn't pass out somewhere," the man said letting Mikoto fuss over him.

"Where are you hurt?" Mikoto asked as Sakura turned back to the task at hand. She reached over into the bowl of water and formed a large bubble of liquid with her chakra. She held it in her hand as she got closer to Itachi. She already knew this poison wasn't nearly as bad as it could be. It didn't seem to be attacking his organs but it was definitely circulating around.

"Okay. Hold him down now. This is when the pain starts. Also I suggest you give him something to bite down on or he will more than likely wake up Sasuke," Sakura advised. Fugaku nodded and held Itachi's shoulder's, pinning them down to the mattress before grabbing the cloth that Mikoto had brought when she found the rubbing alcohol. The cloth was clean and would work for something Itachi could bite down on.

Sakura leaned over Itachi before pushing the bubble into the small laceration at the left side of his chest. The reaction was instant and Itachi's eyes shot open as he attempted to sit up. Fugaku managed to stop him and hold him down which only made Itachi panic more. His eyes wildly looked around before clamping shut as a small cry of pain escaped his lips. Fugaku unceremoniously shoved the cloth into his son's mouth which only heightened Itachi's confusion and panic. Sakura rolled her eyes, the poor man had no idea where he was and why he was in so much pain and being restrained and Fugaku goes and shoves a cloth in his mouth.

"Itachi, it's okay, you're at home. You've been poisoned. It's Sakura and I'm removing the poison right now, I know it hurts, I'm sorry," Sakura said trying to sound reassuring. Immediately Itachi's body relaxed when he had some idea of what was going on only to tense again as another shot of pain took over him. He bit down hard on the cloth in his mouth, a quiet moan of pain escaped him. Sakura watched as the dark liquid of the poison came out with the water as she extracted it from his body. She let the poison go in the empty bowl before grabbing another bubble and repeating the process. As Sakura leaned over him she felt Itachi's hand grip the fabric of her sleep pants tightly before he moaned again, unconsciously struggling against his father's grip. Sakura felt horrible for causing him such pain but she was saving him.

After another fifteen minutes Sakura had gotten as much of the poison as she could out and proceeded to heal the small cuts and lacerations still peppering his torso. Itachi was breathing heavily as he removed the cloth from his mouth and Fugaku let him go.

"Now we can take him to the hospital. I got about 90 percent of the poison out, he is no longer in the danger zone," Sakura said brushing the small bit of sweat that had gathered on her forehead. Mikoto was suddenly at her side hugging her.

"Thank you so much Sakura. You have some serious talent, what you did to get that poison out was incredible. I know you need a serious amount of chakra control for that, who taught you how to do all this?" She asked curiously.

"It's no problem," Sakura paused thinking over what she could say about Tsunade without giving away her name or any other information. "My mentor was a good friend of my mother's she passed away a few years ago," Sakura said. The room's occupants, aside from Itachi, nodded, seemingly accepting that explanation. Sakura watched as Itachi dozed off on the bed, his body thoroughly spent with everything it went through tonight. She then turned to Shisui. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine. Mikoto patched up the small wounds I had." Sakura went over to him and placed a hand on his chest, letting her healing chakra invade his body. She searched around for the poison she had found in Itachi but luckily there were no traces of it.

"Who did this to you guys?" Sakura asked her voice quiet. Shisui frowned

"I wish I could, but I can't tell you that, it's confidential. Clearly, though, it was a formidable opponent, one I've never had to face before." Sakura's mind went back to Sasori again and she knew he was behind it. Sakura was curious if he had a partner at this point in the past. She will probably never find out. With a sigh she stood.

"Are you strong enough to help me take Itachi to the hospital?" She asked then and lent him a helping hand. He grasped it and pulled himself up with her help before nodding.

"I can manage," He answered.

Sakura and Shisui removed Itachi from his bed, the younger raven grumbling something about wanting to sleep as they draped one of his arms over each of their shoulders to support him while they made their way to the hospital. The journey was relatively quick and Mikoto was following behind them carrying the bowl of poison carefully. Once Sakura convinced Fugaku that his son was out of the danger zone he decided to stay home. Something about having to leave early in the morning for something important. Sakura didn't know the specifics.

Once at the hospital the medical staff took Itachi into a room while Shisui went off to check on Genma. Mikoto followed Sakura into the room as Sakura listed off what happened and what she did to help him.

"You did all that?" the medic asked her eyes wide "That's…incredible," she breathed

"Yes but he still has a small amount of poison in him. I also brought the poison with me so you can research it and make a cure for it. That's always good to have just in case." The medic nodded before looking down at Itachi's chart and going over to him. A nurse came in to retrieve the bowl of poison from Mikoto and then left the room. The medic continued toward a now sleeping Itachi and placed her hand on his chest, using her healing chakra to feel around inside him.

"Just as you said, I can still feel traces of that poison," she said with a frown. She removed her hand and spoke again "I have some medication I can give him to hold off the effects of it until a cure is made."

"Good," Sakura answered with a nod. "Thank you."

"I'll go get it now. I would like to keep him overnight for observation, though. One person may stay here with him if you wish," the medic said after a moment and left the room to get the medication. Sakura looked at Mikoto.

"You can stay with him if you want," she said thinking about Tsuki who was probably still waiting for her outside the hospital. He would just have to stay with her for a little while longer.

"No, you stay," Mikoto answered with a small smile. "I need to be home for when Sasuke gets up," she paused. "And clearly my son will be in capable hands with you," she finished with a smile.

"Are you sure?" Sakura asked, sort of surprised Mikoto didn't want to stay.

"Positive," the older woman answered. "Goodnight Sakura and thank you again for saving my son," she murmured before pulling the pinkette into a warm hug. Sakura instantly hugged Mikoto back and smiled.

"You're welcome, Mikoto. I'm glad I could help him. I…" Sakura paused a moment staring at the wall behind the older woman. "I...care about him," she said blinking at the completely unexpected emotion she was feeling. Sakura missed the knowing smile Mikoto had on her face as she looked at her sleeping son. There was something going on between Itachi and Sakura, that much the matriarch knew. If Mikoto was being honest with herself, she didn't mind the two being together, as long as her son was happy, she was happy. She knew, however, that the clan would never approve. She wouldn't be the one to forbid their happiness though. Sakura pulled back first, her thoughts going a mile a minute as she said goodbye to Mikoto.

When Sakura told Mikoto that she cared about Itachi, she wasn't exactly telling the truth. Wait yes, she was telling the truth, but not the whole truth. She turned to look at the man across the room. His pale, relaxed face was visible in the small amount of moonlight that was filtering in through the hospital window. Sakura walked over to his side and pulled the small chair that was located a little ways away closer to the side of the bed and sat down. She took Itachi's hand in her own and stroked the side of his face softly. She definitely cared about him, more than she thought she ever could. Tonight had been an eye opener for her. Logically she knew he wouldn't have died tonight but she still feared for his life. It was the first time she had realized she was truly scared to lose him. His life was more or less in her hands. The question as to why he came home to her instead of going to the hospital was still swimming around in her head but she shoved it down and vowed to ask him when he was better.

Regardless though, as the pinkette let her thoughts go over the events of the night she had come to one very large conclusion. She was in love with Uchiha Itachi. She knew it was the worst possible thing she could have let happen. She also knew that she wouldn't be able to kill him if it came down to that. Her feelings might single handily make her fail this mission and yet, thinking back on her love for Sasuke, she realized another thing. Sasuke was on a whole other level than Itachi. Somehow her love for Itachi was a lot stronger than Sasuke's and that scared the hell out of her.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the medic from earlier re-entering the room with the correct dosage of medication in her hand. Sakura retracted both of her hands from Itachi as the woman walked further into the room.

"I'm giving him one dose of Zyonex," she explained. Sakura paled "Now be warned there are-"

"Interesting side effects? Mainly varying between violence and being…too friendly?" Sakura asked with a slight wince.

"Yes," she agreed with a slight grin "We honestly don't know why it elicits such polar opposite reactions. It varies from person to person," she explained. Sakura nodded as she watched with unease as the medic injected the Zyonex.

After the woman had left Sakura went over to the hospital window, opening it and peaking outside.

"Tsuki!" She whispered loudly, hoping the bird would hear her. It took about two more tries before the flapping of wings could be heard and Tsuki perched himself on the edge of the window. He cocked his head in silent question.

"I'm staying here for the night with Itachi. I don't know if you want to stay too or if you want to leave. Technically we aren't breaking the rules if you leave, Itachi is still with me," Sakura smirked. Tsuki peaked around the pinkette to look into the room.

"How is he doing?" the bird asked curiously. Sakura looked over her shoulder at Itachi before turning back to answer Tsuki's question.

"Stable and definitely out of the danger zone," Sakura assured with a small smile. "They just gave him some meds to stop the effects of the poison until they come up with a cure. It should only take them a week at most, depending on how good they are." Tsuki nodded

"Well I won't stick around then. I think you are a little more trustworthy than Itachi's father gives you credit for, seeing as you saved his son's life," he said rolling his little beady eyes slightly.

"Okay. Take care Tsuki," Sakura answered with a smile. "And thank you, I'm glad you think I'm trustworthy," the pinkette said with a small, quiet laugh. "See you later." Tsuki nodded once before flying off and disappearing into the still dark sky.

000

"Itachi can you please stand up straight?" Sakura grumbled as she struggled to walk down the hallway in a straight line, which was horribly difficult with Itachi swaying all over the place. Sakura knew giving him Zyonex was a bad idea. He was definitely overly friendly, he had tried to 'inconspicuously' grab her butt numerous times on their way home. Sakura only hoped no one noticed. The humor was not lost on Sakura however, seeing Itachi do things like grab her butt was funny purely because it was so un-Itachi like.

"Sakurraaa," Itachi drew out her name dramatically as they entered their bedroom. Sakura lightly tossed the man onto the bed before answering.

"Yes Itaaaachiiii," she said mimicking his dramatic tone. He grinned devilishly and Sakura narrowed her eyes.

"Are you going to take care of me?" he asked

"Yes," she answered as she swung his legs up onto the bed with zero help from him.

"Hmm…" he hummed, tapping his finger lightly against his closed lips as if he was in deep thought. "Kinda like my own personal nurse," he said with a mischievous grin "My _naughty_ nurse perhaps?" Sakura's eyes widened to the size of saucers at the words that just came out of her Itachi's mouth. There was no way this was the same man she had been going out with for a few weeks now. He would never say something like that. Then again he was more or less high on medication at the moment, anything was possible.

"No!" she whispered harshly, her breath hitching slightly when she felt his warm hand slip its way under her shirt. She grabbed a hold of the hand, stopping its movement upward. "Itachi…" she warned her eyebrow raising.

"Yes, nurse?" he purred. Her eyes widened again. Okay she had to admit that was kind of hot. Her skin flushed slightly as she let his hand go and it immediately began to ascend again. Itachi smirked at the fact she was allowing him to go further and he sat up, pushing his hand further up her stomach until it reached the underwire of her bra. Before Sakura knew what was happening Itachi was standing beside her and her shirt was pulled over her head so she was left clad in only a bra and pants. The gasp of surprise was silenced when his lips met hers. The feeling of his hand sliding underneath her bra and cupping her left breast had her eyes flying open. Her breast fit perfectly in his palm and he allowed his thumb to brush over her slightly puckered nipple making her gasp and lean into his hand more.

Sakura's brain was foggy but not foggy enough to know this was wrong. Itachi wasn't in his right mind and she couldn't allow them to go further.

"Itachi-"she started before he removed his hand from under her bra and turned her around. She fell softly against the bed, the cool sheets against her back making her shiver slightly. Itachi was then on top of her.

"Shh…" he purred again and Sakura groaned in a mixture of frustration and desire as his skilled lips coasted down the column of her neck, laying soft open mouthed kisses there.

"Itachi, stop. We can't do this now! Your parents are downstairs," she whispered harshly. Sakura's heart froze when she heard the door open.

"Hey how is-" the person stopped talking abruptly and Sakura peaked over Itachi's shoulder as the raven continued his attention to Sakura's soft skin. She was relieved to see Shisui standing in the doorway. That relief however turned to unease when a suspicious grin took over his features and he took a step back to go out the door.

"Shisui!" Sakura whispered loudly again. "Help me, he isn't thinking straight right now. I don't want to use force to get him off of me!" she pleaded only to watch in horror as the man slowly back out of the room, gave her a wink and shut the door.

_'Damn that asshole, he will pay for that!'_ Sakura thought angrily as she glared at the closed door. It was then that the pinkette noticed Itachi had stopped moving. His face was buried in the side of her neck, his breathing calm and even. His arms were wrapped tightly around her so she couldn't move. Sakura sighed in exasperation, Itachi had passed out right on top of her. She still only had a bra and pants on and if anyone walked in at this moment it would cause _so_ many problems. Sakura wiggled around trying to get loose from his strong hold to no avail. She could use her chakra but she didn't want to hurt him.

Sakura also came to the conclusion that she wasn't totally against this position. Itachi body was warm and his presence up against her was nice. She liked being close to him like this. Besides a nap didn't sound so bad at the moment. So with that in mind Sakura hoped to kami no one else would try to walk in as she closed her eyes, surrendering herself to Itachi's warmth and falling asleep rather quickly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooooo funny drugged up Itachi anyone? ^_^ gotta love him ;)


	15. Lust, Love & Revenge

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soo....;) enjoy this people! xD Also the revenge against Shisui part of this chapter is hilariously childish just forewarning xD haha

"Mmph," came the muffled gasp as Sakura kissed Itachi before pushing him down so he was laying on his back in the grass. She was straddling him, each of her legs on either side of his body. Their lips were moving smoothly against one another's and Sakura's hands were roaming the plains of Itachi's bare chest. She had taken his shirt off and checked to see if she could feel any more of the poison in his system, thankfully it was all clear, the cure had worked.

It had taken the hospital five days to come up with a cure. Sakura had to deal with an overly touchy feely Itachi for five whole days. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't just a little sexually frustrated. Sure she thought about a more intimate relationship with the raven but she also knew it wouldn't be a good idea to get _that_ attached, wasn't loving him too far already? Still though since he had been feeling better yesterday Itachi had noticed she was more, forthcoming in her desire for him. He wasn't complaining, he had been feeling it too, so what Sakura had told him about his actions while on that medication he couldn't say he was all that surprised.

He was definitely embarrassed that he went about it that way, but not surprised. Itachi pushed himself up so his weight was being supported by his elbows, before he pulled back from the kiss. All he could see were emerald green eyes, hooded with desire, staring back at him. Sakura's mouth was open the slightest bit as she breathed a little heavier than she had before. To say the look on her face didn't shoot straight to his groin would be an understatement. Itachi wasn't used to having a woman have this effect on him. He had never really noticed women until Sakura came along and now everything she did that his brain registered as 'sexy' turned him on. Itachi wasn't sure how he felt about that, he didn't like his body being out of his control, it sort of bothered him a bit. After a few moments of silence Sakura pulled herself together and got out of his lap to sit next to him. Her body was facing him when she pulled her legs up to her chest, resting her chin on her knees.

"So, Itachi. I have a question," she mumbled into the fabric of her pants. Itachi got up into a sitting positon, crossing his legs before raising a brow at her, signalling for her to continue. "Are you a virgin?" she asked innocently, hiding the small blush that dusted the tops of her cheeks. Itachi didn't hide his surprise, he hadn't been expecting a question like that. With a small sigh and light blush on his own cheeks he answered her.

"No I'm not. I lost it on a mission."

"Really?" Sakura asked raising her head to look at him better. He nodded, not looking proud over the fact. "Me too…" Sakura admitted. "Seduction missions are a bitch eh?"

Itachi smirked before stretching his arms back behind him and resting his weight on his hands. The pale skin of his chest reflected the sunlight a little and Sakura dropped her legs before moving closer to him. Her eyes raking down the smooth skin only to catch on that scar just below his pectoral muscle. She reached up to run her thumb across the puckered skin, immediately retracting her hand when Itachi stiffened in reaction to the touch.

"Sorry," she mumbled and Itachi felt slightly guilty.

"It's okay, you can touch me," he paused "Just not there," he clarified. Sakura nodded in understanding before looking up at him.

"How did you get that scar?" she asked curiously, immediately regretting it when his eyes shot away from her, something similar to pain swimming in those dark orbs. His body was stiff again as he no doubt remembered what gave him the wound. "Forget it. Sorry I asked, I didn't mean to be nosy," Sakura said trying to stop the pained look on his face. He shook his head trying to free the unwelcome memories from it before looking at her and smiling. Sakura could tell it wasn't totally genuine but it wasn't forced either.

"It's okay," he said before grabbing his shirt from beside him and pulling it on over his head. After pulling his pony tail out so it rested over his shoulder he held his arms out in an invitation to Sakura. She smiled and immediately got closer, crawling into his lap and resting her head on his shoulder contently. His right arm wrapped around her back to support her slightly.

"You know, I'm half expecting you to grope me right now…" Sakura trailed off with a snicker. She was answered with a groan as Itachi's free hand came up to cover his face in embarrassment.

"I don't think I can apologize enough for my actions," he said, his voice muffled by his hand. Sakura pushed her face closer to him so she could lay a soft kiss on his neck.

"I don't think you need to apologize. I am your girlfriend aren't I?" she asked with a small laugh as he peaked out from behind his hand. They hadn't really given their relationship a title per say but it was implied.

"I suppose you are," he agreed letting his hand fall, only to leave it resting on Sakura's upper thigh lightly.

"I just wish I didn't have to stop you every time you tried to take things further," Sakura grumbled, the smallest of pouts taking over her face. Itachi raised a brow in slight surprise.

"Oh really?" he asked humour evident in his eyes. Sakura grinned before moving forward, her hand coming up to cup the side of his face and her lips pressing softly against his once before pulling away.

"Of course, there were a few times where I wanted to say 'to hell with it' and let you have your way with me, _but_ I knew you would regret it when you got off the meds." She said with a laugh as Itachi's face turned beat red with embarrassment. That wasn't the only reason she didn't let it go further though, she couldn't get even more attached to him. She would only hurt them both more in the end if she did. He didn't need to know that though.

"You were probably right," the Uchiha allowed "I want to remember being with you so…intimately." Sakura smiled.

"I would want you to remember that too."

"Although I have to admit, you definitely got Shisui back pretty good," he paused "And all I have to say is I'm happy I wasn't involved in that. It did result in an interesting clan meeting, though." Sakura laughed loudly at that as she recalled her revenge on Shisui earlier this week.

_*Flashback S*_

_"Sakura," Akarui snickered as she watched the pinkette rummage through her brother's underwear drawer. "How did you get your hands on this itching powder anyways?" The younger woman asked. Sakura smirked evilly and Tsuki, who was perched on the pinkette's shoulder rolled his eyes at this absurd and childish situation._

_"I have my ways..." she said secretly. The black haired girl rolled her eyes but grinned anyways._

_"What did Shisui-nii do to you anyways?" Now it was Sakura's turn to roll her eyes. The pinkette still told Akarui about the whole incident between her and Itachi and Akarui's mouth popped open when she learned her brother just walked away._

_"What a jerk!"_

_"Right!?" Sakura exclaimed taking the powder out from her pocket and sprinkling the itchy substance inside Shisui's underwear making sure to get some inside the clothing._

_"You should put some in his pants too," Akarui added crossing her arms over her chest. Sakura laughed loudly._

_"What?" Akarui asked a grin taking over her face "The jerk deserves it."_

_"He may deserve it but I'm not that cruel," Sakura explained before pocketing the baggy that was still half full with the powder and shutting the drawer. "You said he doesn't have any missions right now correct?"_

_"No missions that I know of," Akarui nodded._

_"Okay well if he ends up leaving for an emergency one tell him about this okay? I'd hate to be the cause of him getting killed because his nether regions are itchy," Sakura said with a slight grimace at the thought. Akarui grinned_

_"Of course. My brother is an ass sometimes but I'd like him to stick around for a while longer."_

_"Me too," Sakura admitted with a laugh._

_000_

_Itachi knew he was being spoken to right now but he couldn't tear his eyes away from his fidgeting cousin that was sitting across from him. Itachi narrowed his eyes and delivered a swift kick to Shisui's leg under the table in an attempt to get him to stop moving so much. The action startled Shisui and he barely managed to hold in a yelp of surprise._

_"So, what do you have to say about this Itachi?" One of the elders asked, trying to grab the long haired raven's attention._

_"Hm?" Itachi said looking over at the old man. Said man narrowed his eyes at Itachi's lack of concentration. Itachi's eyes went back to Shisui and he resisted the urge to sigh loudly at his cousin who was still moving around with an annoyed expression on his face. Suddenly someone's fist came down hard on the wooden table, a loud thud echoing around the room._

_"For Kami's sake Shisui! Would you sit still!?" Fugaku yelled from his place at the head of the table. Itachi held in a snicker at the way Shisui's face paled slightly at Fugaku's explosion._

_"I, ahh…" Shisui suddenly started vigorously scratching at his crotch area, "May I please be excused?" He asked trying so hard to be polite but really wanting to jump up and run out of the room. Fugaku's eyes narrowed dangerously._

_"We are in the middle of an important council meeting. What is your reasoning for wanting to be excused?"_

_"I..uhh…" Before Shisui finished his sentence suddenly he was up, out of his chair and dashing out the door. Everyone's eyes widened as they watched Shisui run like a bat out of hell._

_"Excuse me father." Itachi said calmly before standing._

_"You can't leave too!" Fugaku said getting aggravated._

_"We can reschedule this meeting," Itachi answered holding his father's stern gaze with ease. The older man threw his eye glasses onto the table with a soft thud before he pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. He knew without looking up the elders in the room were looking at him, judging him for not being able to control a stupid situation like this._

_"Very well." He said looking up only to find Itachi no longer in the room. "Tch," Fugaku clicked his tongue in anger. Clearly Itachi didn't give a shit about his approval, seeing as he left before Fugaku could even think about it._

_000_

_"Shisui!" Itachi called running to catch up to his cousin who was clearly heading in the direction of his apartment. "What's going on?" Itachi asked confused. Shisui's eyes shifted nervously around them to make sure no one was listening._

_"My crotch is itchy as all hell and I don't know why," Shisui admitted. Itachi's eyes widened a small fraction before speaking._

_"When did this start?"_

_"Today, in that damn meeting. Actually it started before that when I was walking to the meeting place, but it wasn't bad so I ignored it. It got worse really fast."_

_"Have you…slept with anyone lately?" Itachi asked letting out a satisfied smirk at the glare that was shot his way._

_"Yes I have, but she was clean. I've slept with her multiple times before and never had this issue."_

_"Right and I'm sure you're the only one she has ever had sex with," Itachi said sarcastically before rolling his eyes._

_"It's not an STD okay?" He paused quickening his pace "It wouldn't come on this quickly if it was."_

_"I suppose you're probably right," Itachi allowed after a moment. "You did just come back from a mission, are you having an allergic reaction to something? By the way what was your mission about anyways? The only reason I wasn't assigned to it with you was because they gave me two weeks off to heal."_

_"No, that isn't it either, and well do you remember what happened regarding the Hyuga's after the peace treaty was signed with the cloud village?" Itachi frowned._

_"Yes, Hiashi killed an important ninja of the cloud village to save his daughter right? The cloud demanded Hiashi's life as punishment but his twin brother, Hizashi stepped in to take his place," Itachi said as an explanation. Shisui nodded._

_"I was delivering proof of that punishment to the cloud village," Shisui stated grimly. "Kakashi and I, along with a few Hyuga clan members made the journey. Apparently all is well and they didn't notice that it wasn't Hiashi's body." Itachi frowned again, it wasn't a happy ending for the Hyuga that's for sure._

_Eventually they got to Shisui's apartment and entered only to find Akarui and Sakura sitting on the couch, mischievous twin smiles on their faces._

_"So Nii-san. How are you feeling today?" she asked overly sweet. Shisui narrowed his eyes at her._

_"What did you do?" He asked._

_"I didn't do anything," Akarui said honestly._

_"She didn't, but I did," Sakura said after a moment. Shisui's eyes shot to Sakura's devious smirk and glared._

_"What did_ you _do!?"_

_Sakura shrugged and looked at her finger nails feigning indifference as she spoke again "Ahh the wonderful outcome of itching powder."_

_"What!? What did I do to deserve itching powder?" Sakura looked at him, raising a delicate pink brow._

_"What happened when I asked you for help this past week, when you…" She glanced at Itachi once before continuing "Walked in on something interesting…?"_

_Shisui's eyes widened "This is my payback for that?" he asked not being able to stop his small snort of laughter as he approached Sakura where she sat on the couch. She stood unsure of what he was trying to do. He had a proud sort of smile on his face as he put his fist out in front of him, signalling that he wanted her to bump her fist with his. She did and Shisui grinned "Good one," he allowed._

_*Flashback E*_

"Oh! I forgot to ask you, do you remember the night I was pulling the poison out of you?" Sakura asked once they had both stopped laughing.

Itachi grimaced "Yes, unfortunately I do."

"What was running through your head when you woke up while I was in the middle of doing it?"

"Honestly?" he asked with a small smirk. "I thought my father was killing me," he confessed with a small laugh.

"What!? Why would you think that?" She asked confused

"Think about it. I wake up to excruciating pain, my father is hovering over me, holding me down and stuffing a cloth in my mouth. Sakura rolled her eyes

"Yea, he wasn't exactly smart with the cloth," she agreed "That's why I told you what I was doing, I didn't want you to have a panic attack."

"Tch, I don't have panic attacks," he said before glancing down at their laps. "I never did thank you for saving me, Sakura," he said his voice quiet all of a sudden. Sakura smiled and lifted his chin with her finger, making him look at her.

"Hey, it was nothing," she assured "You know I would have done the same if it were Shisui or even your other partner Genma," she paused. "Although saving you was a little more emotionally exhausting I must say and if I'm being honest I was pretty scared that I would fail."

"You did fine," he said knowing it was his turn to reassure her, "Besides I felt safer with you anyways. Even though everything you were doing hurt like hell." Sakura smiled.

"That's nice to hear. Why did you come to me though?" She asked sounding curious. Itachi looked thoughtful for a second.

"I'm not too sure, honestly. I guess I wasn't thinking straight on the way to the hospital. I just wanted to go home, then I thought about you and my body acted on its own," he paused once before taking a breath and continuing "I didn't know how badly injured I actually was and I'm really happy you are a highly skilled medical ninja or I probably would have died."

"Hm, I never would have let that happen," Sakura said seriously.

"Hn. Thank you," He said.

"You're very welcome, Itachi," she answered smiling up at him.

000

It was a few days later before they ended up packing a picnic lunch and heading toward a secluded place in the forest for their third date. These didn't really feel like dates anymore though, more like just spending quality time alone together. Sakura eyed the dark clouds above them as she set the food out on the blanket they brought along with them.

"Think it will rain?" She asked Itachi as he sat cross legged directly in front of her. He shrugged

"Probably, if it does we will just pack up and go home." Sakura nodded in agreement as they both dug into the food.

"So," Itachi started after swallowing his first bite "I still haven't found out much about you," he pointed out. Sakura laughed.

"I suppose you haven't, we keep getting interrupted," she paused wiping her hands on a small napkin "What would you like to know? You already know my favourite foods and colour." Itachi thought for a second, his chin resting in his hand as he looked at her.

"Is your hair naturally pink?" He asked completely serious. A snort of laughter came out of Sakura's mouth and it made Itachi's heart flutter oddly at the way she threw her head back, her eyes closed and laughter bubbling up from her chest. That feeling had been happening to him more often around Sakura and it sort of confused him, it wasn't a feeling he was used to.

"Yes," she answered once her laughter had died down into soft snickers "It's definitely natural."

"Okay, what are your dreams?" he asked rather vaguely. Sakura gave him a look and, with a smirk, he elaborated "What do you want to accomplish when you're older?" he asked again. Sakura went silent as she thought this over carefully. This was a question she could answer honestly without having to worry about slipping up on her cover story.

"Well," she started taking a deep breath "I really like helping and saving people, so I guess what I want to do most in the coming years would be to become the best medical ninja I could possibly be," she paused "Also I wouldn't mind being a teacher for younger children, teaching them basic first aid and medical jutsus for when they are put on teams and given missions. I strongly believe there should be one medical ninja on every team."

"That wouldn't be a bad idea," Itachi agreed.

"Right? I mean it would limit casualties, which is always a good thing," she said with a smile, she knew that idea came from Tsunade herself, she simply agreed with it. Sakura flinched when she felt a cold drop on the bare shoulder her black tank top didn't cover. She looked up only to have three or four more cold drops of water fall on her face.

"Damn," she grumbled looking down at Itachi. He smirked,

"We figured this would happen," he said with a shrug. "Let's continue eating until it starts to pour, deal?" Sakura nodded and took another bite of her food.

The pair ended up eating over half of the picnic lunch before the rain really started to come down. The cool water soaked through their clothes until the cloth stuck to them like a second skin. Their hair was sticking to their faces as they packed everything up and headed back to the house. Goosebumps sprouted along Sakura's arms as they jogged through the forest. There was a large puddle that had gathered in the path ahead of them and Itachi watched as Sakura's eyes widened before she ran toward it. Her eyes were alight with excitement as she jumped and splashed down into the middle of the puddle. Water went everywhere, splashing Itachi's already soaked clothing. Sakura grinned before she kicked the water at Itachi again. His eyes narrowed, this was rather childish. Itachi had never deemed himself a child. He sort of skipped that stage in his life. He had a huge amount of responsibility weighing his shoulders down for as long as he could remember. With that in mind, the raven set down the basket with their leftover lunch and threw caution to the wind. He jumped into the puddle, the cold water biting at his sandaled feet. He could be a child now if he wanted. Something told him Sakura was the only one who could bring this behavior out in him though. Maybe Shisui was right, maybe this woman was good for him.

The two of them laughed and splashed each other as the rain continued to pour down around them. Sakura's heart warmed at the absolute carefree expression on Itachi's face. It was nice to see him let go of whatever always had him down or overthinking. He was currently letting loose, and she was lucky enough to witness it first hand, and she was single-handedly the first person to see this side of him, that she was aware of anyways. Suddenly her arms wrapped around his torso and her face was buried into his sopping wet, cloth covered chest. She wanted so badly, at this moment, to tell him how much she cared about him, how much she loved him, how much she adored his laugh, his smile and everything about him, but she bit her tongue. It was too soon. Itachi chuckled as he wrapped his arms around Sakura's back and leant down slightly to bury his nose into her now dark pink locks.

"We should head back," he murmured but didn't move. Sakura nodded looking up at him. Her arms moved to wrap around his neck and pull him down into a kiss. Their bodies were pressed impossibly close to each other and Sakura's eyes popped open as soon as her cool lips connected with his. Something was different this time. Her eyes fluttered shut again as she felt Itachi's strong arms tighten around her and their kiss deepened, both opening their mouths to let the other explore. Their breathing came out in short pants as the rain around them drowned out any other sound. It was just them, in this moment and neither of them could understand the feelings coursing through them. They both broke apart clearly breathless.

"What was that?" Sakura breathed out, her voice slightly shaky from the onslaught of emotion that simple kiss had elicited. Itachi remained silent, nothing but his harsh breathing could be heard over the rain. Before Sakura knew what was happening Itachi had grabbed the basket and was back at her side, taking her hand and pulling her in the direction of the house.

Once they were outside the house Itachi stopped them. He pushed out his chakra to see if he could sense if anyone was home. Satisfied that they would be alone he continued forward, still tightly grasping Sakura's hand. Sakura had a good idea about what was about to happen and she could honestly say she wouldn't be stopping this time, no this time they would go all the way with each other. The thought slightly scared Sakura, she truly didn't want to get this attached then up and leave, unavoidably hurting them both in the end. Something inside her stopped her from calling it off though. She needed this with him. She _needed_ him.

As they entered the tea room Itachi dropped the basket on the floor before turning around and lightly pushing the pinkette against the wall next to the door leading outside. Their bodies were flush against one another, the only thing separating them was a few soaked shirts and pants that seemed to cling to them anyways. Sakura's breathing hitched when Itachi captured her lips with his again. Her fingers weaved their way into his dark hair, the strands sticking to her skin.

From just outside the door to the tea room someone stood watching with a small knowing smirk on their face. Mikoto had her back against the wall, masking her chakra perfectly. She peaked once more around the corner where all she could see was her eldest son's back. With a small smile on her face she quietly made her way to the front door of the home and left unnoticed. Clearly they both needed some alone time.

At some point the couple had stumbled up the stairs of the home and into their bedroom. Their hands never leaving the other's body as they kissed and nipped at each other's exposed skin. Itachi's hands gripped the bottom of his shirt before pulling it off easily. Sakura had very little time to drink in his toned torso before his hands gripped the bottom of her shirt. He looked her in the eyes, silently asking if this was okay. The pinkette resisted an eye roll before placing her hands over his and pulled the shirt off herself. Their skin was still cool from the cold rain water but it was quickly warming up around them as their desire for one another became suffocating. Sakura felt Itachi wrap an arm around her waist and lift. Instinct made her wrap her legs around his waist and he carried her toward his dresser, opening the first drawer, grabbing something and then proceeding to move them both toward the bed across the room. He laid her down on the comforter and she arched her back to remove her bra with ease, exposing her naked upper body to Itachi.

Itachi had one foot on the floor while his other leg was on the bed when he froze over top of her. He sucked in a sharp breath when her breasts where exposed to him for the first time. Her nipples were hard still from the cold and her chest was heaving, a small blush making its way from her cheeks, down her neck and to the rest of her chest at Itachi's intense gaze. Without warning the raven ducked down and took one of the pink buds into his hot mouth. The drastic change in temperature had Sakura gasping out a moan as her back arched sharply, pushing herself further into Itachi's mouth.

The raven reached up with his hand and pinched her other nipple, rolling it between his thumb and forefinger, enjoying the way Sakura's legs that were still wrapped around his waist tightened and she began to circle her hips against his, looking for the friction they both wanted. Her breasts fit nicely in his hands, they weren't large but he liked their size. He switched sides, taking her other nipple into his mouth making the pinkette moan his name softly, her back arching even further off the bed. Itachi pulled away earning a pout from Sakura as he unwound her legs from around his hips and pulled lightly at the waist band of her dark pants. She lifted her hips off the bed a bit to allow him to completely pull them off, leaving her only in her red, lacy and almost see through panties.

Warmth pooled between Sakura's thighs at the heated look she received from Itachi when her panties were revealed. She watched as the raven swallowed thickly and glanced up to her face. Her breathing hitched at the lust she saw in his dark eyes. It was a look she had never seen from him before, he almost looked hungry. Her heart beat quickened when he forced himself to move away from her so he could remove his own pants and the large tent in his boxers was finally visible to Sakura. She was hungry too. They were hungry for each other and it was something Sakura had felt before but never to this extent. Itachi began to lose control of his actions and it scared yet excited him all at the same time. He had never had the privilege of losing himself in the feelings and desires of a woman. Sakura elicited feelings he had never felt before, he felt almost drunk with it and he loved it.

Before Sakura could blink she was suddenly moved to the middle of the bed and Itachi's lean form was hovering above her, his lips pressing harshly against hers and she reciprocated his actions just as wildly. Her eyes were shut, arms draping around his neck and legs wrapping tightly around his slender hips where she could clearly feel his hard arousal, the feel of his cock only heightened her own arousal and her lower muscles clenched with the glorious realization that he would be inside her soon.

Their first time wouldn't be slow and loving, no it would be wild and crazy; the lust they had both been holding back was breaking free like a dam. Sakura found herself perfectly okay with this, this was the first time either of them would be having sex with someone they truly cared about. There was a raw _need_ to feel close to one another and it was driving them both crazy. Sakura's eyes flew open when she felt Itachi's hand slip underneath her panties and sneak his index finger between her folds to lightly circle around her clit; making her arch impossibly closer to man above her.

"Ah, Itachi," she moaned letting her legs fall from his hips only to spread them, letting him have more room to move around as much as he liked. He took the hint that she wanted more and his finger trail down until he found her entrance. Slowly he inserted his one finger into her wet heat, holding back a groan at how wet and ready she was already. Her eyes fluttered closed, a loud whine escaping her as he removed his finger only to press two more inside her. He picked up a nice rhythm, slowly working her up and making her moan. Itachi watched as her chest heaved with her erratic breathing and her head was thrown back as he pleasured her. His lips found the column of her neck and he kissed along her smooth skin as a thought came to his mind. His lips made their way to her ear and in a soft voice he whispered

"You should wear one of those thongs' you bought, I'd love to see you in one of those," he said moving to nibble lightly on the lobe of her ear. Itachi smirked when he felt her inner muscles clench around his fingers as he continued his rhythm of pushing them in and out her. Clearly that turned her on a little.

"Kami." She murmured letting her head fall back into the soft pillows "Anything for you," she breathed, her eyes still closed.

"Hn," the raven smirked again before trailing his lips back down her body, taking one of her perfectly perky nipples into his mouth once more.

"Please," she gasped, forcing her eyes open to look at her lover. "I need you Itachi, don't make me wait any longer." Sakura wasn't sure she could handle the teasing and foreplay anymore, she needed him and she needed him now.

Itachi nodded his agreement before he removed his fingers, which were now slick with Sakura's arousal. The sight of her essence coating the two digits made his cock twitch with its own need. Not waiting another moment Itachi quickly removed his underwear and grabbed the small square package he had gotten from his dresser earlier. He ripped it open and slid the thing onto his hard length. Sakura watched him curiously as he did this, he was definitely larger than anyone she had ever been with before but she was confident her body could take him.

"Where did you get that?" she asked motioning toward the now empty package beside her hip. Itachi blushed slightly before crawling over top of her again.

"Um, Shisui gave it to me," he admitted. Sakura let out a small giggle before wrapping her arms around his neck, her hands going into his tied back, black hair and pulling him down for a kiss. Their chests were pressed tightly against each other when Itachi felt one of Sakura's arms leave his hair and push its way between them. A hiss escaped his lips as her small hand wrapped around his length giving it a few small tugs before guiding it into her heat. Itachi's head fell forward so it rested on Sakura's shoulder as he pushed his hips forward. Inch by inch the pinkette's warmth swallowed him, the feeling was indescribable.

Sakura's choked gasp made him stop moving and look at her when he was fully seated inside of her. His eyes silently asked her if she was okay, he wasn't particularly familiar with this and he didn't want to hurt her. She smiled weakly up at him in response to his obvious concern

"I'm fine, 'tachi. I'll tell you if you hurt me," she assured, tugging on the pony tail that was resting over his shoulder to pull him down for another kiss. Sakura circled her hips experimentally making both of their eyes roll back at the sensation. It didn't take long for Itachi to move as well, he slowly pulled almost all the way out before thrusting back in quickly.

"Ugh!" Sakura cried out at the delicious feeling of being so full of him. Her legs wrapped tighter around him, her back arched as he picked up his pace. She met his thrusts with her own movements loving the way they fit together so perfectly, the minor discomfort of his size was gone, and in its place was the best feeling she had ever experienced before. Her desire began to quickly build threatening to take over her senses completely. She welcomed the feeling.

Suddenly Itachi's arm was wrapping around her arched back, picking her up off the bed and pulling her close to him. Their positions were different now, they were still on the bed but his back was against the wall and she was sitting in his lap, still feeling him buried deep inside of her, now hitting an entirely new angle. Itachi wasted no time in gripping her hips and moving her against him. Sakura's hands went to his shoulders as she attempted to move herself up and down. Her forehead pressed against Itachi's, their eyes never wavering from one another's. Their tempo was wild and there was no particular rhythm anymore, they were both close and their erratic movement, heavy breathing and moans of pleasure were evidence of that.

"Oh, 'tachi." Sakura whispered drowning in his liquid black eyes. His breathing was ragged, his mouth open slightly as he stared into the beautiful green orbs in front of him. He could feel her muscles flutter around him as they continued to move together, he knew she was close and he was too. He removed a hand from her hips and reached in between them to press against her swollen clit.

"Ah!" Sakura moaned her head thrown back as her inner muscles clenched deliciously tight as her orgasm took over her body. She could feel Itachi thrusting up into her mercilessly as he grew closer to his own release.

Suddenly their positions were moved again Sakura was beneath him as he moved in and out of her at an even faster pace than before. His eyes were clamped shut as Sakura tried to hold onto him so she didn't slide into the headboard behind her. Itachi's teeth were gritted tight

"Itachi, don't hold back, let me hear you," she whispered softly in his ear. Her sweet voice sent him over the edge.

"Agh!" he cried burying his face into Sakura's neck. His hips stilled, pressing flush against her own as his release took over him, Sakura's name passing over his lips like a mantra.

The only thing that could be heard in the silent house was their ragged breathing before Itachi flipped to the side, carrying Sakura with him so she rested on top of him. His softening length still buried inside of her. Sakura's eyes drooped with fatigue as she began to calm down.

"Tired?" Itachi asked sounding less breathless than before. The pinkette nodded against his sweaty chest refusing to open her eyes. He then turned on his side letting her lie down on the bed, she turned on her stomach, face half buried in the pillow. The action caused him to slide out of her, making her whine slightly at the feeling. He then got out of bed and leant down to leave a soft kiss on her temple, brushing the sweat and rain damp hair behind her ear.

"Sleep, Sakura. I'll be right back," he whispered making her 'hm' in acknowledgment.

"Don't be too long," she mumbled softly. His heart seemed to flutter a bit at the look of her flushed, slightly sweaty skin as she fell asleep. He pulled the blanket up and covered her body and with another fond glance at her, he left the room.

After cleaning up in the bathroom Itachi returned to the room and crawled into bed with the pinkette as promised. He covered both of them with the blanket and smirked when Sakura immediately cuddled close to his warmth. He had to admit their activities had indeed wore him out and as the minutes ticked by his eyes drooped and he surrendered to the urge to sleep. Sakura's warm body pressed up against his helped him nod off quickly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mikoto is officially the biggest ItaSaku shipper out there!! ;)  
> So...*wink wink* did you like their first time? xD If you did please let me know in the comments? pretty please? thank you to those who have commented, I appreciate it!


	16. Past Crimes Revealed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things will begin to pick up now. :) I hope you all are ready ;)

Ever since being with each other intimately, the couple had taken advantage of any alone time they had together to explore each other's bodies more thoroughly. Sakura's love for Itachi had grown even stronger since then, and it had only been roughly two weeks. There was a loud sigh as Sakura laid her head down on Itachi's warm shoulder. Their breathing gradually slowed and the silence of the house surrounded them.

Everyone in the house was still asleep and as Itachi glanced down he noticed the way Sakura's eyes lingered over that scar located just below his chest. She was indeed curious about it and even though the memory was painful he decided maybe it was time to tell her about it. Who knows, maybe it will make him feel better if she knew. That way it wouldn't be something he was keeping from her.

"I was 13 years old." He started, swallowing the nervous lump in his throat. He had never told anyone other than a few officials about this event in his life. "It was during the last war and I was on my second ANBU mission as a captain when I was captured by the enemy. I had been separated from my team and they were able to take me down." Sakura was now sitting up slightly the comforter wrapped around her chest as she looked at Itachi wide eyed.

"Why are you telling me this?" She asked quietly.

"I know you have been curious about my scar," he explained tracing the pale mark with his index finger. "I catch you looking at it every time I'm shirtless around you. I….trust you. So I'm going to tell you." A pang of guilt shot through Sakura's heart. He trusted her and yet she was keeping so much from him. She shoved the feelings of guilt down and nodded at him to continue. With a deep breath he spoke again.

"They had me locked up for three weeks. Every single day they would torture me for information. I was an ANBU captain, I was privy to all kinds of useful information. No matter what they did though, I didn't budge, so the torture got worse and worse." Sakura frowned at the pain barely contained in his dark eyes.

"Stop. You don't have to tell me anymore. I can see these memories are hard for you. Don't put yourself through that just to satisfy my curiosity."

"It's okay. I want to tell you this."

"Okay," Sakura answered hesitantly

"One of the many things they did to me was stabbing me over and over again. The puncture wounds were shallow, shallow enough that when they healed me the scars went away," he paused pointing at the only scar that was visible "This one, however was pretty deep. They almost punctured my lung. It was the last thing they did to me before I was rescued, this one they didn't heal. It healed on its own eventually."

"They had their own medic to heal your wounds, only to inflict more later?"

"Yes, it was their way of keeping me alive, for as long as possible" he said with a grimace. "Do you remember that nightmare you woke me up from? I reacted violently and…almost hurt you?" Sakura nodded recalling that specific nightmare a week or so after she had gotten here.

"Yes, I definitely remember that," she said with a nervous laugh. "My life sort of flashed before my eyes there…" she admitted. Itachi frowned

"Yea, sorry about that. I was actually dreaming about that mission. The pain of being tortured kind of sticks with you forever."

Sakura laid back down so her head was resting on his chest again. She felt his arms immediately tighten around her and hold her close to him.

"I'm sorry that happened to you. Thank you," she murmured into his skin "Thank you for trusting me enough to tell me that."

_'Even though you don't deserve that trust!'_ Sakura thought bitterly. Itachi craned his neck down slightly to lay a soft kiss on her head. He watched Sakura sleep for a while before finally falling asleep himself. He felt slightly better after telling her about that mission.

000

Itachi woke the next morning sleeping on his stomach. To his right he didn't see Sakura's head but as he craned his neck to look lower he saw her a little ways down curled into a ball, her face pressed against his ribs with one of her arms slung over his lower back. She was still fast asleep and he watched with interest as her body snuggled in closer to him, her grip tightening. He resisted the urge to smirk as he felt her face nuzzle impossibly deeper into his side as if unconsciously seeking the warmth his body gave off.

He could hear movement downstairs and decided to get up for the day. Slowly he removed himself from the bed, being careful not to wake the pinkette. He watched with a fond smile as she pulled the blankets tighter against her before settling again. Itachi quietly made his way around the room, gathering his underwear and other clothes he would wear for the day before slipping them on and leaving the room silently.

Sakura's eye peaked open when she heard the bedroom door click shut. When she was alone she stretched out earning a few popping sounds from her joints as she groaned at the awesome feeling of stretching her muscles after being curled up all night. Slowly the pinkette pulled herself out of bed wishing she could sleep longer but knowing she shouldn't. Sakura then noticed with only a bit of surprise that Itachi hadn't summoned Tsuki to watch her while he was downstairs. As of late Tsuki hadn't been needed all that often because for the most part Itachi hadn't been going on missions. The Hokage had given him two weeks to heal after he had been injured and even this past week he had only been given day missions. She enjoyed being able to spend time with him as often as she had been able to, it was nice.

Still though when his parents were in the house he always summoned Tsuki when he wouldn't be with her. Sakura wondered briefly if he had forgotten or if he had done it on purpose. With a small shrug of her shoulders she exited the room, pulling her hair up into a messy ponytail while walking down the stairs. The sound of raised voices, or rather one person with a raised voice reached her, making her stop in the middle of the staircase, mask her chakra and listen.

"You left her alone didn't you?" Fugaku said sounding angry.

"Yes, I think she has proved to be more than trustworthy. Or have you forgotten about her saving my life after that mission, father?" Itachi answered calmly, the slight hardness of his voice barely betraying his anger. Sakura had noticed the difference in behavior when Itachi was talking to his father. He showed very little emotion, he always took on a more bored tone of voice that made it sound like Fugaku was wasting his time. He was always a lot warmer toward his mother, a lot more playful toward Sasuke, carefree toward Shisui and generally all of the above for her. Warmth spread through Sakura at that realization. It just showed he cared about her, a lot.

"No I haven't forgotten!" Sakura could only guess Fugaku was pinching the bridge of his nose, something he seemed to always do when he was frustrated. "Itachi," he started his voice calmer, but more serious. "With our plan about to be set in motion we can't afford to trust anyone outside of our clan. You must understand that." Sakura stiffened. Plan? What plan? What were they planning on doing?

"Shh!" Mikoto hissed suddenly. "We can't speak of something like this right now," she said her voice sounding worried. Sakura realized she had stopped masking her chakra.

_'Dammit! Way to ruin your chances of hearing more, dumbass!'_ she thought, annoyed with herself. Sakura decided to play it cool and walked down the remainder of the stairs. Itachi's head poked out of the kitchen door and offered her a warm smile that only she could see.

"Good morning, Sakura," He said. Mikoto walked out beside him.

"Good morning," Sakura answered smiling at both of them.

"Would you go and wake up Sasuke?" Mikoto asked sweetly. Sakura nodded and turned around to walk back up stairs. Fugaku spoke from in the kitchen, his voice serious.

"Itachi," he said in an almost warning.

"I'll come with you," Itachi murmured before following Sakura up the stairs. Sakura didn't turn around but rolled her eyes at Fugaku's not so subtle warning that she couldn't be left alone.

"I apologize, Sakura. My father has trust issues," Itachi said pausing as he began walking down the hall directly beside the pinkette.

"Don't apologize," Sakura said, offering him a smile. "It's not your fault. Besides I am kind of an outsider…"

"No you're not!" Itachi almost snapped. Sakura's eyes widened as she looked up at him. His voice immediately softened "You aren't an outsider. You've been living with us for four and a half, almost five months now and you saved my life. An outsider would have never done something like that. You care about me, and you care about my family. I respect you for that and if I'm being honest it makes me angry that my father can't see that."

"Itachi I-"

"We're here," he interrupted gesturing toward Sasuke's bedroom door. "As I'm sure you have noticed already my Otouto isn't exactly a morning person…" Itachi said trailing off with a small laugh. Sakura decided to drop their conversation for now and grinned.

"No he most definitely is not a morning person," she agreed.

The two of them entered the quiet bedroom. Sasuke was still fast asleep, his blanket pulled up to his chin and soft quiet snores escaped his little mouth. Sakura knelt down beside one side of his bed and Itachi took the other. Sakura reached up and softly poked one of the smaller raven's cheeks making him squirm slightly.

"Sasuke," she sang. The younger Uchiha grumbled something unintelligible before dramatically flopping onto his stomach and burying his face into his pillow.

"Otouto," Itachi said poking his little brother on his cheek as well. His face was buried still but there was a small bit of his cheek visible. "Time to get up."

"No," Sasuke grumbled. "Sleep."

"Kaa-san is making breakfast for everyone, she would be really disappointed if you didn't join us," he said poking the boy's face again.

"No," he drawled "Nii-san, go away." Itachi chuckled slightly. Sakura raised an eyebrow before placing her hand on Sasuke's back.

"Didn't you want to show Itachi, me and your mother your jutsu today?" She asked quietly although knowing Itachi could hear her. He smiled knowing she was talking about the fireball jutsu. She had told him how excited Sasuke was to have learned it. Itachi knew he really wanted their father to approve of it.

"Yes…" Sasuke mumbled turning his head a small amount just so one of his open eyes was looking at a smiling Sakura.

"Well you have to get up then don't you?" Sakura asked watching as Itachi stood from his spot, ripped the blankets off of Sasuke, picked the boy up and threw him over his shoulder.

"Itachi-nii!" Sasuke cried in surprised before crossing his arms as best as he could while hanging upside down. A large pout took over his face as Itachi left the room. Sakura made a few funny faces at Sasuke's pouting form, trying to make him smile, to no avail. There was no making this child happy in the mornings.

000

"Fire Style: Fire Ball Jutsu!" The flames were hot on their faces as Itachi, Sakura and Mikoto watched the ball of fire expand over the water on the lake with small smiles on their faces. When he was done Sasuke looked nervously as his mother and Itachi who stood at his sides.

"Sasuke that was amazing!" Mikoto cried kneeling down next to him and gathering him in a small hug before planting a kiss on his forehead. "I'm so proud of you." She said honestly. Sasuke smiled at the praise. He felt a hand on the top of his head and turned to look at a smirking Itachi.

"Good job, little brother," he paused, ruffling Sasuke's spiky locks. "I think you can show tou-san now. I'm sure he will be proud of you," he said with a genuine smile on his face. Sakura could clearly see how proud he really was. Sakura was pretty proud of Sasuke too. The person the small Uchiha truly wanted praise from though was Fugaku. Sakura could only hope the man didn't disappoint Sasuke further.

"How about we go home and make your favourite lunch?" Mikoto suggested, loving the happy smile on her son's face. She knew Fugaku would be proud of Sasuke. Even though it may not look like it sometimes, her husband loved both of his children dearly. He always had high hopes for Itachi and he wasn't disappointed. Itachi surpassed everyone's expectations. Sasuke took more time to learn things than Itachi did and it made the young boy think he was inadequate because of that. Mikoto knew Fugaku was always proud of Sasuke, he just had a horrible way of showing it, her husband had never been very good at openly showing his emotions to anyone, including herself at the beginning.

After they had gotten married when Mikoto was sixteen years old it had taken the birth of Itachi when she was seventeen for her to even catch a glimpse of emotion on her husband's face. It had been an arranged marriage but after a few years Mikoto began to fall for him, which is something she had wished would happen. They were in this for life, she had hoped they would at least be happy. Mikoto didn't need Fugaku to tell her he loved her. He showed her in the way he did things. The way he would kiss her softly in the mornings before he left or a look he would give her. She knew he loved her. He just didn't know how to say it. Even to this day he had only been able to say the words three times in their seventeen years of marriage. One of those time was when Sasuke was born. She hadn't seen him that happy in years.

With a small smile at both of her sons the four of them left the dock and made their way home.

000

That night Sakura reached for Itachi only to find his side of the bed empty. Her eyes opened, revealing the pitch black darkness of the room. The bed next to her was cold so he hadn't been here for a while. Where had he gone? Mission? No he would have woken her to tell her he was leaving if that were the case. With a small yawn the pinkette sat up in bed, her tank top strap falling down her shoulder and her eyes blinking slightly; still heavy with fatigue. She slowly got out of bed and made her way to the door.

Her hand reached for the doorknob of the bathroom door across the hallway only to stop when she heard the faint sound of voices coming from downstairs. She masked her chakra, which she had to admit she had been getting better at doing. Yesterday was proof of that, no one had noticed her until she had accidently stopped hiding it. She would have to spar with Itachi again soon to see if she had actually improved a decent amount. She shook her head to clear her thoughts as she descended the stairs. As she got closer to the first floor she realized the voices were coming from the tea room. She stopped just at the bottom of the stairs, her back against the wall. The door to the room was cracked only a small amount but it was enough for her to understand what was being said between what she could tell as Fugaku and Itachi. She suspected Mikoto was there as well but at the moment she wasn't speaking.

Sakura closed her eyes trying to hear better as the calm voice of her lover floated through the crack in the door.

"Tou-san,"

"Look, Itachi," Fugaku interrupted. "I know you're against what we are doing, but we have been slighted and cast aside for far too long. It is time we show our strength as a clan. I'm not going to try and convince you to want this like everyone else does, but as my son, I need you to be there with us, for us." Sakura heard Itachi take a small breath.

"I have expressed my dislike for this situation, yes. I have also agreed to join you, on one condition." There was a small pause before Itachi spoke again "You postpone the attack for another month."

"A month?" Fugaku asked sounding surprised. "No, I can't postpone it a month. What is your reasoning for this?"

"There is something I must do on my side to help us win the battle. I need more time to do it though. The attack on the village is not going to be easy-"

"We can do it without help on your side. If we have surprise on our side we are sure to win," Fugaku interrupted again.

Sakura swallowed thickly. Attack the village? Just what was this clan up to? Why would they do such a thing?

"Father, please. Let me do this. If I make sure the highest skilled ANBU are away from the village it will make our job a _lot_ easier." There was a small bout of silence. Sakura held her breath. There were so many questions running through her head at the moment. Why were the Uchiha wanting to attack the village? Did the Hokage know about this? Why was Itachi going along with it if he didn't agree with it? Sudden realization dawned on her then. Itachi killed his entire clan in a little over a month from now. Was this the reason why? Did he kill them all to stop this attack? That would make the most sense. So now her mission just got a thousand times more difficult. She didn't have to stop Itachi from killing his clan, she had to stop the whole plan of attack on the village. How in the hell was she supposed to do that!? Sakura's thoughts were interrupted by Mikoto's soft voice piercing the silence that had blanketed the room.

"I think we should allow Itachi to do this," she said. Fugaku sighed in response to her answer.

"Fine. I will postpone, but not for an entire month. I can give you two weeks and that's it."

"Hai," Itachi acknowledged "I will complete my task in two weeks." There was a shuffling sound in the room that gave Sakura the impression that the conversation was over. Silently she slipped back upstairs and back into the bedroom. Her mind was still reeling but there were quite a few things that made sense to her now. Itachi definitely didn't kill his clan to 'test his abilities' like Sasuke had said Itachi had told him. No Itachi must have killed his clan to save the village from the planned attack. To Sakura that was the last thing she would have expected and now she had more respect for the man than she ever thought she would. At the same time, even though her mission had more or less changed, the outcome needed to remain the same. She needed to stop the attack and make sure Itachi never had to go through the pain of killing his loved ones because of their own disloyalty to their village. She now knew what had made him the cold killer he was when she first met him. There was no doubt in her mind that he would have to kill every emotion inside him to get the job done.

The opening of the bedroom door made Sakura close her eyes and feign sleep as she laid still in the bed. She listened as Itachi moved around the room, removing his shirt and pants. She heard him slip on his sleep pants before crawling into bed next to her. He pulled her close to him and without much thought she cuddled up to him, her head on his chest.

"Did you get up?" Itachi asked quietly. Sakura decided telling only some of the truth would be best.

"Yes," she murmured "Just to go to the bathroom. Where were you?"

"Had to talk with my parents for a bit, nothing serious," he assured. Sakura nodded against his chest and tried to go to sleep.

She slowed her breathing down and remained still so it would seem like she was sleeping. She then felt Itachi's arms tighten around her. He placed a soft kiss against her head and whispered softly

"Please don't think badly of me," he said. Sakura's chest tightened at the small amount of pain in his voice. He must think she was sleeping, that and it was now obvious that he knew she had been listening in on his conversation with his parents. Sakura hoped he was the only one who noticed. Instead of caving to the need to assure him she would never think badly of him now, she simply stayed still and let him think she was indeed sleeping. Although, sleep wouldn't come easily to Sakura tonight.


	17. Confessions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not pleased with this chapter. I'm so sorry if it seems rushed and it is rather short

"Stop!" Itachi said, suddenly directly in front of her again and pushing her up against the tree. The rough bark dug into her back as she stared up into his confused dark eyes.

"What?" she asked, cocking her head to the side. Her breathing was laboured seeing as she just had to dodge a barrage of physical attacks only a moment ago, but Itachi was calm, his breathing even as he looked at her intently.

"You're holding back," he pointed out.

"No I'm no-"

"Don't lie to me, Sakura," he said, his eyes getting slightly harder. She swallowed slightly before speaking again.

"I'm not, I-"She paused, what was she supposed to say? He would know if she lied.

"The last time we sparred," He began his eyes narrowing. "That intense show of strength you displayed, hasn't left my mind," he said honestly. Sakura frowned. "I just never brought it up because I figured in time you would stop hiding it from me." Sakura's frown deepened when she saw the slight hurt in his eyes. She couldn't lie to him anymore. The stab of pain that shot through her heart due to the guilt she felt over keeping so many things from him was something she couldn't take anymore. It's not like what she was hiding was bad, her mission was to correct the wrongs of the past to make a better future for Sasuke and now Itachi. Sakura loved them both so much, she needed them to have a happy ending with no more pain and suffering.

But telling him what she was really doing here could ruin everything. He could be angry, as he should be, and have her kicked out of the compound. That happening would completely ruin her chances at stopping the massacre. If Sakura was going to tell him about everything then she needed to be smart about it. She needed him to know right away that she was here to make sure Sasuke had a normal life and didn't get executed at the young age of seventeen. He would be less likely to get angry over that, right?

"Sakura. Tell me why you are holding back, you are clearly hiding something from me. Please tell me, you can trust me."

"I need you to keep an open mind, Itachi. Please don't jump to conclusions. You need to let me explain," she began and her eyes widened as the words spilled out. Oh kami, she was really going to do this wasn't she? Sakura hoped beyond hope that the raven would understand. She just, couldn't keep this from him any longer. She needed to be open and honest and telling him might even help her in the end. If he knows what the future holds it will make him less likely to follow the path that caused that particular future. Itachi raised a brow at her, a flicker of worry crossing his features before it was gone.

"Sakura, you don't know me at all if you think I would be the kind of person to jump to conclusions," he said frowning. He had let his arms drop so his hands rested on each of her arms in a more relaxed manor.

"What I'm about to tell you will make no sense. Before I tell you the main thing there is something you need to know first." Itachi nodded slowly, he was beginning to grow wary of where this conversation was going.

"Everything I have done up until this point was for Sasuke. Sasuke is my main focus, his happiness is what I'm striving for." Itachi's hands dropped from Sakura's arms then and he looked at her, his expression changing to something more suspicious. She looked down, swallowing thickly as she continued. "The reason my medical skills are so good and the reason I have the strength I do is because Tsunade, one of the three legendary Sanin, trained me herself. I trained under her for quite some time-" Itachi cut her off, his voice slightly harder than before and it made Sakura's heart skip. She hadn't even gotten to the big part yet and he was already mad. No, wait, he wasn't mad, not yet. She had yet to see Itachi _mad_ but there was something is his voice that made Sakura worry over his reaction to when he found out everything.

"Impossible, Tsunade left the village. She had no students," he pointed out. Sakura wasn't looking at him but she could feel his hard stare.

"You're right she hasn't taken any students, yet." Sakura chanced a glance up only to see Itachi's eye brows furrowed in confusion and uncertainty. Sakura sighed before continuing. "Tsunade won't take on a student for another almost eight years," she said only slightly explaining. "I'm her only student aside from her assistant Shizune."

"What are you talking about? Sakura you aren't making a single bit of sense."

"I told you what I was going to tell you wouldn't make sense. One thing you need to know is that I care about you, I care about your family and I definitely care about your little brother. Like I said he is my main focus. My feelings for you are real but the _real_ reason I am here isn't because my family died."

Itachi's eyes narrowed dangerously as some of the pieces began to fall into place. "Why are you here?" He asked, the warmth in his voice completely gone now, and in its place the cold and unemotional tone he usually used while speaking to officials and his father. It tore at Sakura's heart. She hadn't heard him talk to her like that, ever.

"I'm on a mission to stop something horrible from happening."

"Was your mission to infiltrate my clan and spy on us?" He asked taking a rather large step back. Sakura suddenly felt cold.

"Partly yes," she paused and watched as Itachi's eyes hardened even more and she rushed to add more " _But_ I have your family's best interest in mind! I swear!"

"You lied to me, Sakura," he said "You entered my home under false pretenses and yet expect me to trust that you had _good_ intentions. Please tell how that is reasonable." He paused and Sakura didn't miss the flash of hurt in his eyes "Whatever we have going between us, is it even real? Or was it your way of getting closer and learning more about me and my family?"

"Itachi I told you my feelings for you are real. Falling for you was never something that was supposed to happen. I'm not here to harm you or your family, I'm here to stop you from doing something horrible and ruining your brother's life!" That last bit of information seemed to get Itachi's attention more so than anything yet.

"Ruin my brother's life?" he asked looking more confused than angry at the moment. "I don't understand how you can possibly know about the decisions I will make in the future and how they will affect my brother."

"There is so much I need to tell you but I just don't know how to explain. Everything I say is going to sound crazy!" Sakura was getting frantic now. Everything she was doing and why she was doing it was running through her mind at top speed, her words and explanations making no sense even in her own head. How could she possibly explain everything to Itachi without sounding like a lunatic?

"Well until you can figure out how to tell me what the hell you're talking about I'd like you to stay elsewhere, _away_ from me and especially away from my brother," Itachi said before turning around and walking toward his house. Sakura's stomach sank and her heart squeezed. Was this it? Where they over? Sakura felt like slapping herself, she shouldn't be worried about their relationship at such a crucial time when her mission was on the line. However the pain in her chest as she watched his retreating back, begged to differ.

"Stop!" She cried, feeling tears prick at her eyes. "I know what you end up choosing to do, to take care of your family's…plan to attack the village." Sakura watched as Itachi stopped walking, his whole body going rigid. Before he could say anything she continued "It's because I'm from the future. Ten years in the future to be exact. I know what you end up doing and I know how it affects Sasuke." Before Sakura could blink Itachi was right in front of her his eyes seemingly on fire with anger. The strong emotion causing his sharingan to activate as he stared down at her.

"You're in _no_ position to insult my intelligence," he growled making more tears gather at the corner of Sakura's eyes but she wouldn't let them fall and she calmly held his angry glare as she spoke again.

"I wouldn't dream of insulting your intelligence." She said her voice slightly thick with emotion. "In fact I can prove that I am indeed from the future. Sasuke was on my genin team. I have a photo of Naruto, Sasuke, Kakashi-sensei and myself as team seven. Not to mention my seven year old self is currently in your brother's class. Please, Itachi. _Please_ believe me. I won't lie to you any longer, I couldn't bear to keep this secret anymore."

"Time travel isn't possible," he said his eyes still hard but she could still see the hurt and betrayal he felt there clear as day. She had gotten so good at reading his emotions.

"That's what I thought, but I was proven wrong."

"Tch. Show me your proof and _maybe_ I'll think about believing you." He said moving away from her and walking away again. This time she immediately followed. He was giving her a chance to prove to him she wasn't lying, that was good right? Maybe this won't end as badly as she felt like it was going to a moment ago.

"Tsunade, who is the fifth Hokage, sent me here with a letter to give to Lord Third. He read it and whatever she said in the letter made him believe my story. He could possibly vouch for me as well," Sakura added as the two of them entered in through the backyard of the Uchiha home. Itachi glanced at her from the corner of his eye

"Hn," he answered.

Once inside the home Sakura walked upstairs, stopping a moment to say hello to Mikoto who was sweeping the living room floor. She went toward the closet once they were inside Itachi's room and grabbed her medic pouch that had been thankfully spared since that night she was saved from the rogues. She searched through it before taking out a carefully folded photograph that she took with her everywhere. She unfolded it before handing it over to Itachi who immediately took it and looked at it.

"My real name is Haruno Sakura," she murmured as he glanced down at the picture in her hand.

His eyes widened a fraction as he looked at the picture. A younger Sakura stood in the middle of two boys, one blonde with a scowl on his face that looked an awful lot like the jinchuriki of the leaf village and one dark haired boy who had a matching scowl, the two of them were looking at each other over Sakura's head. Behind them was indeed Kakashi. There was no mistaking it. He was older looking than he was now, but it was definitely him. The raven's eyes went back to the dark haired boy on Sakura's left. He looked identical to his little brother, his dark eyes looked haunted, he could see the pain there clear as day and it made Itachi wonder just how that got there. What happened? Itachi thought about what Sakura had said about his decision playing a horrible part in Sasuke's future. Was Itachi the cause of the pain he could so clearly see there?

Part of Itachi wanted to believe Sakura right away but a more logical side of him couldn't believe her. This picture however was hard _not_ to believe. He was hurt, there was no denying that. He had never been able to open up to anyone quite like he had been able to do with Sakura. She had been lying to him since the moment she arrived in his care. It made him angry that he didn't see it coming a mile away. He should have caught her lies before he fell for her. This feeling of betrayal was eating away at him, he had never felt this way before. Silently he handed the picture back to her and ignored the way she looked up at him, her expression full of hope. He wouldn't believe her so easily. He needed more proof.

"I'd like to go and speak to the Hokage," he said, his voice giving nothing away. Sakura's expression fell slightly before she nodded and they left the room.

000

The Hokage was busy but managed to give them ten minutes of his time. He was slightly shocked to see Itachi and Sakura stroll into his office. He noticed immediately that something wasn't right. Sakura looked upset and Itachi looked angry. The older man sat straighter in his seat as he watched the two of them approach his desk. Both bowed slightly and greeted him.

"To what do I owe the pleasure?" He asked curiously.

"I have told Itachi the true nature of my being here." Sakura confessed looking down slightly. Hiruzen raised a brow in surprise.

"You do realize you have possibly compromised your mission, Fuguya Sakura."

"He now knows my real name, Hokage-sama. It's Haruno Sakura." Sakura paused and looked up at a still silent Itachi. "As you are probably aware of Itachi doesn't exactly believe me when I tell him I'm from the future." Hiruzen narrowed his eyes at the pinkette in front of him.

"Sakura. You weren't supposed to tell anyone about the time travel. That is a top secret jutsu that only _very_ few people know about. You are one of those people and Tsunade and I are the other two."

"I'm aware of that sir," Sakura confessed looking slightly ashamed. "But my…relationship with Uchiha Itachi has changed and I couldn't keep this from him anymore. I'm aware my decisions may have consequences and I will readily take the punishments for them." Suddenly Itachi stepped up, looking slightly less angry than before.

"If she is telling the truth, I will not breathe a word of this to anyone," he said glancing at Sakura. The third sighed before nodding.

"Very well. Yes, she is telling the truth."

"Thank you, Hokage-sama!" Sakura said bowing. She glanced at Itachi through the curtain of her hair to see him looking thoughtful. She was relieved to see the anger was gone, but as she straightened, the hurt she had caused was still visible. She would regret hurting him forever.

The couple took their leave and walked through the darkening streets of the village. It was about dinner time as the two of them passed by Sakura's childhood home. She stopped walking and Itachi followed suit, looking at her questioningly.

"This is where my seven year old self lives," she explained looking over at the slightly illuminated window of her bedroom on the ground floor. She walked toward it to peer into the window. She felt Itachi's presence behind her as they both saw the young Sakura reading a book in her bed. They watched for a moment before Sakura broke the silence that had fallen between them.

"Do you believe me?" She turned away from the window to look at the raven. He pursed his lips slightly before giving a sharp nod in confirmation before he slowly turned around to continue their journey home.

"I believe your story. This doesn't mean I forgive you," he explained as she caught up to him.

"Understandable," she murmured. "Just know Itachi, my feelings for you were never planned. I'm pretty sure Tsunade would kick my ass so hard if she ever found out." Sakura cringed slightly just thinking about it.

"Hn."

Sakura sighed "Am I sleeping somewhere else now?" she asked wracking her brain for where she could go. Maybe Kakashi-sensei would take her in for at least a couple nights. She dreaded knocking on his door though.

"No," Itachi said not looking at her. Sakura noticed he wasn't angry anymore but he was still slightly cold toward her. She supposed she deserves this treatment, it really didn't make it hurt any less though. "You can stay. This stays between us though, no one else can know about this," He said as they passed the gates into the compound. The shops in the area were all closed for the day and the streets were more or less deserted. Mostly everyone was at home eating dinner with their families.

"Okay, thank you Itachi, for believing me." He glanced down at her. She wasn't looking at him but he saw the relief showing on her face. He was glad the Hokage confirmed her story if he was being honest. Itachi would forgive her, and soon he would need to know more about the future. He didn't wish for that pain he saw in his brother's eyes to happen. He would do anything in his power to make sure Sasuke remained happy.

"I'm not one to jump to conclusions, Sakura. I like to hear all sides of a story before I judge." He paused locking eyes with her. "But if I am to forgive you, I need you to promise to never lie to me or keep something important from me ever again," he said, his eyes intense. She nodded immediately

"I promise, I will never keep anything from you again. When you would like to know more about the future, let me know and I'll tell you anything you want to know."

"Hn," he nodded.

That night the two of them went upstairs to go to bed.

"I'd like to sleep alone tonight," Itachi murmured not looking at Sakura. He missed the hurt expression on her face but she nodded anyways and readied her bed on the floor, which had remained undisturbed for a while now as she had been sleeping with Itachi every night.

"It's okay, I understand," she said her voice a whisper. As the two laid down in their beds neither could fall asleep. They were silent but both knew the other was awake. Maybe this would be a restless night for them both.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, a bit of drama in this chapter and if I'm being honest this isn't how this chapter was supposed to be. There was supposed to be a bit of a spar at the start and just over all it was supposed to be better but I lacked inspiration so I'm very sorry :/ (I bet you can all tell how unhappy I am with myself xD) haha.


	18. Forgiveness and Bad Feelings

Sakura watched from the trees as Itachi stood in the middle of the clearing with a blind fold on. She could see the tenseness of his shoulders from here. He was tense due to the fact that he couldn't see anything. That makes anyone tense but especially an Uchiha seeing as, in most cases, over half of their strength comes from their eyes. Sakura smirked and jumped from one branch and into the other tree next to her. She paid close attention to his reactions to her movements. From what she could tell he didn't know where she was at the moment. Happiness swelled inside her, this meant her chakra cloaking had gotten better.

Sakura decided to test this theory completely and dropped from the tree silently. She slowly moved toward Itachi who continued to stand still, facing her at the moment. She slowly circled him, watching him for any sign that he knew she was there. She circled him completely so she was behind and she frowned when he tensed more, his hands coming up in front of him before he turned and grabbed the hand she was going to use to touch him and let him know she was there. He removed the blind fold with his free hand, a smirk taking over his features.

"Well done, Sakura," he praised, his smirk turning into a smile. "Your practice has paid off. I didn't know you were there until you were _right_ behind me." A large smile broke over Sakura's face at the praise. Even Itachi couldn't detect her until she was basically touching him. She clapped her hands together once, her smile still in place.

"Yes! Thank you for training me, Itachi," she said somewhat shyly. She wanted to kiss him right now, his eyes were lighter and more carefree than they had been in days. She held back though, they hadn't shown any intimacy toward each other since the truth about Sakura came out almost five days ago. He still hadn't forgiven her for everything but she could tell he was getting more comfortable around her again. Sakura hoped he would forgive her because as much as she hated to admit it, she needed his help to stop the massacre. Without him she would never be able to. Itachi had all the information she needed, he knew that too. Whether or not he would divulge that information to her once they were on better terms again she didn't know, she could only hope.

Itachi watched the sheer happiness in Sakura's eyes at his praise and warmth spread through his chest. He wanted to hug her, kiss her and show her how he felt but he didn't. He needed to know a few more things that only she could tell him before he completely forgave her. He missed being so close to her though, and waiting as long as he had to forgive her was harder than he expected it to be.

When they had watched younger Sakura reading in her room that night something shifted inside Itachi. She was an exact copy of Sakura just smaller, more innocent and more…carefree. It made Itachi wonder what happened to make Sakura the way she is today. What made her so headstrong, so powerful and sure of herself? Itachi realized in that moment he wanted to know more about Sakura's life, he wanted to know every detail of what made Sakura the woman that was standing next to him now. He realized at the same moment that he wanted to grow with her, wanted to spend the rest of his life making memories with her. That thought had made Itachi stop short. He had never desired such a thing, but there was something about Sakura that captured his attention. Something that made him stop and think about what _he_ wanted and not just what everyone else did. She made him want to be selfish for once and want something for himself. The irony that the very person who made him think this way was the person he wanted was not lost on him.

"Yo!" Came the sudden shout as Shisui basically materialized next to Sakura. Against her control Sakura flinched at his sudden, unexpected appearance.

"What the hell? Where did you come from? You literally appeared out of nowhere." Sakura grumbled, not happy that she and Itachi had been interrupted. Itachi rolled his eyes at the stupid grin that took over Shisui's face.

"Well," he started dramatically "They don't call me Shisui of teleportation for nothing you know," he said with a wink. A look of confusion took over Sakura's face.

"They call you that?" Shisui deadpanned before a look of absolute hurt took over his expression. A loud snort came from Itachi as he shook with silent laughter at his cousin's expense.

"Yes!" The older Uchiha grumbled crossing his arms "How could you not know that!? Everyone knows that."

"Clearly, not everyone." Itachi added only riling Shisui up more.

"Hmph. Well they do, so remember it!" Sakura remembered now, she had heard of Shisui in the future but the Uchiha's weren't talked about so much anymore. When they were spoken about the two members it generally revolved around was Itachi and Sasuke. Even though she remembered Shisui's nickname, there was no way in hell she was going to tell him that, this was much more fun.

"So," Shisui started. "My dear Imouto is waiting for me at some new restaurant outside of the compound, would you two like to join us?" Itachi and Sakura both looked at each other and Sakura shrugged.

"Sure," Itachi answered "But first we will need to tell my mother we won't be home for dinner."

"Okay, I'll meet you at the front gates of the compound and we can go together."

"Sounds good," Sakura nodded as her and Itachi began to walk toward the house.

000

"This is nice," Akarui stated after taking a small bite of her food. Sakura smiled.

"What is? The food, the restaurant or all of us spending time together?" She asked.

"All three?" Akarui laughed. "Mostly spending time together honestly. I don't have many girl friends outside of my clan," she admitted. Sakura smiled

"You consider me a friend?"

"Of course! A best friend even," Akarui said with a wink. Sakura laughed. She looked around the table and realized that these three people were becoming very special to her. When Sakura accepted this mission she had no idea things would turn out this way. She never in her wildest dreams thought she would fall in love with Itachi. She never thought some of the members of the clan, mainly Shisui, Akarui, Mikoto and Sasuke would accept her as easily as they did. She felt loved when she was around them, she never wanted this to end. Sakura even found herself dreading the time she would have to leave them all and go back to her own time. Although she knew it would only be a few minutes before she would see them again it still made her heart hurt just thinking about it. All of them would have to wait ten years before she would show up again.

She glanced at Itachi and watched as he smirked at something Shisui had said and she knew he would take her leaving harder than anyone. He may not have forgiven her yet but she knew he felt very strongly for her. She didn't know everything about him or how he worked but the pinkette knew enough that if he didn't care deeply about her he would have kicked her out the moment he found out she had been lying about her true reasons for living with him and being here.

She also knew he struggled with emotions, he wasn't as affectionate toward her as other boyfriends might be. She didn't need the extra affection to know he cared. It was the way he acted toward her, the way he treated her that proved his feelings for her. She didn't need to hear him say 'I love you' to know he did. The pinkette smirked at the realization that even if he did love her, he probably didn't even know it.

000

"Sakura," Itachi's voice broke the silence in the dark room. Each of them were in separate beds again and the house was silent. Sakura didn't know what time it was but she had yet to fall asleep. She turned on her side so she was facing Itachi's bed.

"Yes?"

"There are some things I would like to ask you," he answered. Sakura sat up in her bed to look at him. He was staring at the ceiling above him seemingly deep in thought.

"What about?" There was a moment of silence before she saw him sit up, the blanket pooling in his lap, revealing his pale chest. He looked at Sakura before answering

"The future."

"That's rather vague," she pointed out with a slightly nervous laugh.

"What made you take on this mission? What event took place that made you come here?" Sakura swallowed before looking at her lap. This would be hard for him to hear and equally as hard for her to say it. In Sakura's mind Sasuke wasn't dead, he wasn't dead here so she refused to believe he was dead in the future. Sakura took a deep breath before looking up at Itachi from where she still sat.

"The execution of Sasuke made me accept this mission," she answered truthfully. Itachi visibly stiffened.

"Why was he killed?" he asked, his voice surprisingly even. Sakura could see the war of emotions raging inside of him though.

"For leaving the village." Itachi looked over at Sakura shocked.

"He went rogue?"

"Yea, they took him in right after he killed you." Sakura was worried this might be too much for him to handle at one time. She was about to speak only to have Itachi beat her to it.

"What did I do to cause this? What did I do to make Sasuke kill me?" Sakura stood from her spot on the floor and made her way over to the bed. She crawled in beside him and took his hand. She didn't know why she did it but she felt like giving him a hand to hold would be good in this situation. Or maybe she was the one who needed the physical comfort. Regardless the raven didn't pull away, instead he tightened the grip on her hand as she answered him.

"To stop your clan from attacking the village you killed them. You took out the entire clan, sparing only your brother."

Itachi's eyes widened and his grip on Sakura's hand tightened further, almost painfully but Sakura ignored it and watched Itachi carefully. He looked shocked, an emotion that wasn't commonly seen on his face but in this situation it was expected.

"Why did I do that? Shisui and I have a plan to stop the coup, he is going to cast a genjutsu over the entire clan to stop them. Something only his sharingan can do. He is going to speak with the officials of the village about it tomorrow." He paused his voice still calm but held a bit of confusion about it. When did I kill them all?" He asked looking up at Sakura.

"In about two and half weeks."

"There is still time, I will wait for the meeting Shisui is having tomorrow to finish before telling him what I know now. We need to find another way," he paused looking at Sakura, pain apparent in his eyes "Please don't think I'm a horrible person for what I did. I di-"

"Shh," Sakura interrupted placing her finger against his lips. He locked eyes with her as she spoke again. "Before getting to know the real you and not the 'post massacre' you. I thought you were a heartless bastard who killed your loved ones for the fun of it. That the story we all heard about you doing it to test your own abilities was the truth. But now that I know what's inside your heart, I know that isn't the case." Itachi removed the finger she had pressed against his lips so he could speak.

"You don't know what's inside my heart." He countered. Sakura managed a smile as she pushed him onto his back before climbing on top of him, straddling his waist.

"Maybe not. But I do know one thing." She said her voice soft

"What might that be?" He asked raising a black brow in question.

"You treasure love and family like no one else I've ever met." Itachi's eyes widened slightly and her expression turned sad as she continued "That being said, for you to slaughter your clan, your family and everyone you love." She stopped for a moment and ran one finger delicately down the right side of his face. His eyes were intense with an unknown emotion as she spoke once more "You would have had to kill every feeling, every emotion inside of your heart to get the job done."

His eyes widened and his breathing hitched at just how truthful that statement was. To Itachi's absolute horror he felt the sting of tears welling in his eyes. Thinking about killing everyone had caused his heart to ache. Even the thought of it caused him pain, he didn't even want to know what kind of pain he would feel doing it. He attempted to stop the tears from slipping out of the corner of his eyes as Sakura placed her hands on either side of his face. She leant down slowly before pressing her soft lips against his once before moving back so her face was hovering over his. Dark, watery eyes stared into loving emerald ones as Sakura spoke one last time.

"Itachi." She whispered as she rubbed the tip of her nose over his. "Itachi, I'm here to stop that from happening, I will do everything in my power to prevent you from feeling that pain. If I have any say in it you will always be the man I have fallen in love with. The man who will always treasure love so passionately." Itachi's eyes widened further and gasp escaped his lips.

"You love me?" he asked his voice quiet as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing. How could she say so many good things about him? Itachi never pictured himself as a good person. He had killed so many people in his life that he didn't feel like he deserved to be considered a good person.

"Yes I do. You and Sasuke are my main priority now. At first it was just Sasuke but now my feelings for you have grown so strong that I can't bear the thought of you being unhappy. You being unhappy makes me unhappy."

"I lo-," he paused swallowing "I…"

"It's okay," Sakura said with a warm smile. "You don't have to say it, I know already." Relief showed on Itachi's face.

Sakura was on their side. He and Shisui were not alone in this and maybe, with Sakura's help, they could stop it all. Itachi watched as Sakura leaned down far enough so their lips met again. Oh how he missed this. She pulled back to look him in the eye. "Do you forgive me?" She asked softly. Itachi smiled at her and nodded his head once.

"Yes."

 

That was all Sakura needed to know and she kissed him again her fingers threading through his soft hair. She felt his hands rest on her hips, pushing her down against his pelvis. Her tongue moved passed Itachi's lips to slide against his tongue. Her fingers massaged his scalp as they ran through his hair. They hadn't kissed each other in almost a week. The feeling of being intimate again only fueled their need for each other. As Sakura sat up to remove her shirt she realized something, something was different this time. Itachi hands were gentle and soft against her bare skin, there was still a sense of urgency but not as intense as usual. Sakura couldn't deny she liked the way Itachi would have his way with her but this, this was different and she liked the way he gently stroked her skin, the way his lips softly moved against hers. She knew then why this would be different. Their feelings were out in the open, they both knew they loved one another, and this was the best way to show each other just how deep those feelings ran.

Sakura felt Itachi's hardness against her lower stomach as he rocked his hips into her. A quiet moan escaped her lips as her face hovered over Itachi's when they parted to breathe. His eyes were liquid black as he gazed at her, his breathing slightly heavier than it was only moments ago.

"Itachi," she whispered kissing his forehead before trailing her kisses down the side of his face, to his neck and back up before she looked at him again. "Make love to me, please," she begged.

His eyes darkened even more before he flipped their positions so Sakura was on her back with him hovering over her. He somehow, at the same time, slid his pants down, his underwear following close behind. He then bent down to lay feather light kiss along Sakura's chest, between the valley of her breasts and to her stomach. She gasped when she felt his tongue dip into her naval before his kisses continued. He reached the waist band of her shorts and he quickly slid them down, leaving her in nothing but her panties. His mouth was back to pressing against her, his kisses teasing the sensitive skin of her lower stomach. He trailed his tongue from one hip bone to the other making the pinkette squirm beneath him.

Sakura watched as he hooked his fingers under the hem of her panties and pulled them down kissing and nipping down her smooth legs as he went, once they were off he moved to hover over her again, his eyes intense as he gazed into her emerald orbs.

"Sakura, I've never felt so strongly about someone in my life," he breathed, letting his forehead press against hers. "I don't even know how to describe it or-"

"Itachi I don't need words, just show me how you feel. Love me in your own way," she whispered pushing up to kiss him softly. She felt him nod against her forehead before she felt his hands grasp her upper thighs, pushing them back so they spread more. Sakura threw her head back and moaned lowly when she felt the tip of his arousal push into her tight entrance. Her eyes were clamped shut in pleasure as he slowly moved his way in until he couldn't go any further. He was so deep Sakura could feel the way her body stretched to accommodate his size and it was such a good feeling.

Itachi clenched his teeth at the feeling of her inner muscles contracting around him as he stayed still, letting her adjust even though this definitely wasn't their first time together. Itachi let his body move forward, his arms curling under Sakura to arch her back up as he pulled almost all the way out before thrusting back in. Sakura groaned loudly almost unable to hold in the cry of pleasure that wanted to come out. Neither of them could be loud though, seeing as the whole family was home at the moment. Itachi continued to pull out and thrust back in again in a slow and torturous rhythm. Sakura wasn't used to Itachi going so slow but she couldn't deny that she enjoyed it. She enjoyed the way her pleasure slowly built, the pressure below her stomach building with every sharp thrust that Itachi gave. Their bodies were sweaty, breathing laboured but soft as they moved together as one. Sakura reached up and wrapped her arms around Itachi's neck, kissing his nose, his beautiful dark eyes and soft lips. She refused to leave one inch of his face untouched. She needed him to know how much she loved him. Something told her Itachi didn't know what it felt like to be loved by someone like this. She would make sure he never forgot her feelings for him. There would be no room to doubt it in his mind if she had anything to say about it. This, what they were doing, slowly rocking against each other was making love. They both needed this connection. This emotional connection that neither of them had ever had the privilege of experiencing and yet here they were, experiencing it, together.

The pressure began to build and Sakura's moans grew in volume as her orgasm approached. She felt Itachi quicken his pace and she knew her lover was close too.

"Ahh," he groaned between his pants of breathe. Sakura suddenly felt her back hit the mattress as Itachi pressed his body against hers, holding her impossibly close to him as his pace continued to pick up.

"Itachi," Sakura breathed against the side of his head "I love you so much," she groaned just as her orgasm hit her, her back arched against the man above her as every nerve in her body sang with pleasure. She clenched around Itachi's length so hard he couldn't hold back anymore. She felt Itachi bury his face into the side of her neck, a small cry squeezing past his parted lips as he emptied his seed inside of her.

His thrusts turned to a gentle rocking as he rode out his own orgasm. After a moment of silence, Itachi let himself lay completely on top of Sakura.

"Thank you Sakura," Itachi whispered, his face still buried in the side of her neck as they both continued to breathe heavily. "Thank you for accepting this mission, thank you for caring about my family and most of all thank you for loving me."

"Thank you for believing me, Itachi," he paused to take a deep breath "And thank you, for loving me back."

000

"Hey anyone home?" Shisui asked poking his head into Itachi's bedroom the next morning only to have a pillow hurled at his face.

"Ever heard of knocking, moron?" Sakura griped as she pulled the blanket up to cover her nakedness. After moving back to dodge the pillow Shisui's head poked in again this time a grin lighting up his features.

"Yes, I just chose not to. Believe me this is more fun." He said only just barely dodging another pillow. He poked his head in once more. "All kidding aside, Itachi, can I have a moment?" he asked raising an eyebrow. Itachi glanced at Sakura once before nodding to Shisui.

"Give me a moment to get dressed." Shisui nodded and left the room closing the door.

"I'm sure you know what this is about," Itachi murmured pulling his shirt over his head.

"Yes. Itachi I have a bad feeling about this meeting," Sakura confessed as dread pooled in her stomach.

"I know, me too," he said honestly. "I'll warn Shisui to be vigilant."

"While you're talking I need to go run a few errands," she said getting off the bed in search of her own clothes. Itachi raised a brow in question. "Your mother asked me to go pick up a few things." Itachi nodded

"Okay, I'll see you later then?" He asked approaching her. She nodded and stood up on her tip toes to peck him softly on the lips.

Sakura watched from the rooftop of one of the houses as Shisui left Itachi's home. Her chakra was cloaked as well as she could as she dropped soundlessly onto the road before following Shisui at a safe distance. He wouldn't notice her if she was careful. Something about this meeting was rubbing her the wrong way. Knowing what she did about the future she knew something went wrong with this meeting. Itachi and Shisui's plan never plays out and she was going to do her best to make sure nothing went wrong. She only hoped she would succeed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to consider this a cliffy...so I will post the next chapter now. lol


	19. Danzo's Schemes

Sakura had been posted outside the meeting place for twenty minutes now. She began to grow impatient and curious as to what was going on. But the elders of the village, the Hokage and Danzo were in there so she couldn't follow Shisui inside. A bitter taste appeared in Sakura's mouth as she thought of Danzo. For a man she knew next to nothing about she sure hated him.

Sakura perked up immediately following a click of the door to the building as it opened, she huddled further down in the bush to avoid being seen. The two village elders filed out after Lord Third, the door shutting behind them.

"It's not going to work, Hiruzen." The older woman said a small frown on her slightly wrinkled face.

"Hush," Hiruzen answered "We will let Shisui do this. Whether it works or not we will find out. We need to let the man try at least." Sakura furrowed her brow in confusion as the three walked toward Hokage tower. Where was Shisui and Danzo? Sakura's eyes widened and dread weighed heavy in her stomach at the realization that Shisui must be alone with that evil man. Without any more thought on the matter Sakura stood from her hiding place in the bushes and began to circle the large building for a way in. She knew she would get caught if she simply walked in through the front door.

As she came around the corner of the building the sound of two voices made her freeze. She made sure her chakra was cloaked as best as she could. She quickly disapeared into the surrounding forest and moved through the trees as silent as possible before jumping down and hiding in the bushes only about ten to fifteen feet away from Shisui and Danzo, who were still talking.

"-the assembly is about to start," Shisui said.

"Even if you use your visual jutsu on Fugaku to get the clan to cooperate, what if the village doesn't change?" Danzo asked in his regular monotone voice. Sakura gritted her teeth.

"Lord Hokage has promised to make it change."

"Even if Lord Third is satisfied with the change, the distrust among the Leaf will not go away," Danzo countered. Sakura narrowed her eyes, where was he going with this? The bad feeling in her stomach continued to gnaw at her. Shisui shifted from one foot to the other before speaking again

"I realize that. But in time-"he started before Danzo interrupted him

"Besides, someone who's always suspicious, like me, will never change. What will you do then?" Danzo's head was pointed downward at this point not even looking at Shisui anymore and Sakura's muscles tensed ready to spring into action if need be.

"But, Lord Danzo…?" Shisui began his voice showing off a bit of his confusion and slight nervousness.

"When the time comes, will you use your Kotoamatsukami on me too?" Danzo slowly looked up and dropped his walking stick, he was moving toward Shisui.

"No…I-"

"Your Sharingan…shall be in my safekeeping!" Danzo almost growled his hand going back before shooting out toward Shisui's left eye. Time seemed to stand still as Shisui's eyes widened before he spoke.

"Forgive me," he almost whispered before grabbing Danzo's wrist and immediately casting a genjutsu on the man. Danzo's head drooped and so did his hand and Shisui let him go. "It's just a genjutsu," he assured "You will snap out of it in a few minutes." However Sakura's eyes widened in complete shock as Shisui turned around to walk away and Danzo disappeared.

"Shisui! Look-"Sakura cried already standing up and taking her first step out of the forest to help him. Danzo reappeared directly in front of Shisui, delivering a rib cracking punch to his torso. His grunt of pain made Sakura push herself harder and just as Danzo delivered another powerful punch to Shisui's face and grabbed his hair, ready to lift him up and no doubt remove his eye. Sakura made it to Shisui's side and as she ran by she looped her arm around his waist and pulled him back with her and out of Danzo's evil reach. She jumped away carrying Shisui with her so they were a decent distance away from Danzo who seemed mildly shocked at Sakura's appearance. She was suddenly glad she had surprise on her side or that would have never worked. Shisui landed with a pained grunt on the ground and Sakura had fallen to her knees beside him. They needed to leave, like now!

"Shisui we need to run," She said just as large group of foundation members appeared at Danzo's side. His face was riddled with confusion but he nodded and got up into a kneeling position.

"Grab onto me and don't let go." He said his voice deep with pain as every small shallow breath killed his broken ribs. Sakura nodded, standing behind him and wrapping her arms around him lightly enough not to hurt him but tight enough so she wouldn't let go. He quickly weaved hand signs

"Fire style: Fire Ball Jutsu!" A giant fire ball flew across the area between them and Danzo only to have it extinguished by the ROOT members' water style counter attack. Steam filled the surrounding area obscuring their view enough for Shisui to teleport them out of there. They reappeared in the middle of the forest. Shisui was panting as Sakura pulled him by his hand and he stumbled behind her, still in pain.

Regaining some composer, Shisui ran beside her and spoke through gritted teeth.

"Sakura, how did you know I was in danger?"

"I didn't, ever since Itachi told me about this meeting you were going to have today, I just had a horrible feeling in my stomach. So I followed you." Shisui's eyes widened, probably at the fact that Itachi had told her about their plan. Shisui wondered just how much the pinkette knew.

"Well, thank you," he said as they both jumped from tree to tree towards the Uchiha compound. Sakura suddenly pulled Shisui in another direction for several feet until she stopped, dropping down to the ground again and hiding them both of them in an old hollowed out tree.

"What are we doing?" Shisui asked curiously.

"Danzo and the foundation members will expect us to run back to the compound and will try to cut us off before that. Hiding for several minutes will make the group run by and give us time to escape and find a different way back, a more public way," she explained in a hushed whisper.

"Right, at least one of us is thinking."

"It's fine you are in a lot of pain I'm sure, I will heal you once we're safe," she assured.

After a few moments Sakura peeked out of the tree and deemed it safe before grabbing Shisui's wrist and pulling him out. There was a light whistling sound before Shisui grunted in pain again. Sakura spun in time to see the Kunai imbed itself into his shoulder. At the way he was clutching his side Sakura guessed he had tried to dodge only to have the pain from his ribs stop him short. With a small curse Sakura quickly removed the kunai earning a wince from the Uchiha before pulling him forward into a run. They both jumped up and into the trees just as a fire ball hit the tree they were previously on.

Using the kunai she had removed from Shisui's shoulder she threw it behind them at the closest foundation member only to growl in frustration when he easily deflected it.

"How the hell did they find us?" Sakura asked her voice frustrated as they continued to run forward, dodging the odd kunai that was thrown at them. Sakura bit her lip in worry as the group of them seemed to be gaining. She could tell running at the speed they already were was tiring Shisui out.

"Either they have someone with Byakugan, or a highly skilled sensory type," he said his breathing coming in short pants. "Shit I swear one of my ribs is scraping against my lung." He growled before pushing himself forward. He couldn't be weak now. If he could carry Genma's half dead body back while injured more than he was now he can push through this pain and be of use.

Sakura cursed under her breath at Shisui's explanation as the two of them led ROOT around in a chase. It didn't take long before their luck of staying away was cut short and nine of the members appeared in front of them. Sakura and Shisui immediately jumped apart to dodge the coming attacks.

"Sakura, get out of here! Go get help!" Shisui yelled from his spot a ways away from Sakura. Sakura shook her head violently, gathering chakra into her fists.

"No you run, I'll hold them back!" She said as an answer. It was then clear that neither were willing to leave the other so they both settled in for a fight. Sakura continued to gather chakra in her fists, her feelings about fighting people from her own village were messing with her head. Suddenly five of the members moved forward to attack, with every intention of killing her and not feeling remorse about it and just as suddenly as they had appeared, her nerves were calm. They weren't comrades right now, they were the enemy.

Sakura waited for an opportune moment as one of the men got close to her, she let him feel like he had an opening to attack only to have her chakra filled fist slam into his chest with a sickening crunching sound. A shout escaped her mouth at the effort it took to send the man flying, hitting a tree and falling down. At the moment Sakura couldn't tell if he was knocked out or dead. This made the other four members stop short for a total of one second before they all rushed her. Shisui was dealing with the other four and after dodging attacks he placed two of his enemies, who had happened to make eye contact with him, into minor genjutsu. Seeing Sakura struggling slightly with her own fight he sent a fire ball in her direction as she tried to dodge the flurry of attacks. Sakura ducked down avoiding the flames intended for her enemies and used the distraction to get as close to Shisui as possible.

After jumping and landing next to the two ROOT who were still caught in Shisui's genjutsu she used her Medical Ninjutsu to put them to sleep, making them useless in the fight. There were still six members left and they were now surrounding the pair. Seeing the disadvantage, Shisui and Sakura pressed their backs together. Both Sakura and Shisui realized out of the two of them he was the weaker one, even with the Sharingan. His shoulder was still bleeding from the stab wound he gained earlier and his broken ribs burned harshly. Seeing no other option Sakura spoke loud enough for only Shisui to hear.

"Jump when I tell you to." She said ignoring the look of confusion he shot her over his shoulder. She gathered chakra into her arm just as the remaining shinobi lunged toward them. "Jump!" She yelled and Shisui did without question as she slammed her fist into the ground shattering it and forcing roots and debris to fly into the air, hitting Danzo's men with rocks and stones.

Sakura wasted no time after her partner landed on the ground before yanking on Shisui's arm and lunging to the side when she saw an opening. Shisui was shocked to say the least. Where the hell had such strength come from? He was impressed and recovered from his shock quite quickly in order to get the hell out of there. Though he shook off his shock rather quickly Sakura still had to harshly yank him along so they didn't lose their chance to get away. Sakura clenched her teeth in frustration when she saw three members rise from the torn up soil and head for the two of them. Sakura shoved Shisui behind her before taking a protective stance. She needed to protect the man. She knew he was strong and had more or less held his own so far but she couldn't take a chance that Danzo would succeed and take Shisui's eye. She couldn't let that happen.

"Sakura why the hell are you protecting me?" He asked taking a stance beside her, ready to help defend himself.

"Because, you are the only one who can fix it. You're the only one who can fix _everything_!" she said her voice trembling as she thought about Sasuke and Itachi. If Shisui succeeded in stopping the clan, her boys' could be happy. They would both be alive and _happy_ and she would do everything in her power to see to it and to make sure that happened. Shisui glanced at her before gritting his teeth.

"I have one more thing I can do to help but it will drain my energy, I hope it can take out the last three before I pass out." He said and Sakura looked up to see his eyes change. His Sharingan morphed into something new, the design was different.

However before Shisui could do anything, three large bursts of fire shot in from the right and took out each remaining foundation member. Sakura felt relief wash over her when Itachi appeared directly in the middle of her and Shisui. His calming scent blew past her in the breeze and she let her muscles relax for the first time since she started following Shisui earlier that day. Itachi was here now, they were safe. All three of them remained silent as they left the scene of the fight and headed back to the compound. For now they were out of danger.

000

"Ah!" Shisui groaned in pain as Sakura put slight pressure on his ribs, her healing chakra invading his abdomen.

"What the hell happened?" Itachi asked, impatience clear in his voice as he watched his girlfriend heal his cousin's wounds. The side of Shisui's face was beginning to bruise as if he had gotten punched hard. Shisui grimaced, although whether it was from the pain or just thinking about what happened Itachi didn't know.

"After my meeting with the elders, Danzo took me out back to 'talk'," Shisui began "Itai! Sakura take it easy will you?"

"Sorry, stop being a baby!" she grumbled back. She ignored the half-hearted glare shot her way and continued to work.

"Anyways. Danzo doesn't trust what we have planned to do. He thinks it's a temporary fix and even after I cast the genjutsu the plan to take over will just happen again eventually. He attempted to take my eye"

"So what's his alternative?" Itachi eyes, eyes narrowed

"I don't know, all he said was the Uchiha need to be _dealt_ with now rather than later and to me that could only mean one thing." Itachi grimaced and nodded.

"This is something we will need to talk to the Hokage about," Itachi said beginning to pace from one end of his room to the other as Sakura continued to work on Shisui who was sitting on the edge of the bed shirtless and blood covered from his now healed shoulder wound.

"Agreed, Lord Third was all for the Kotoamatsukami plan. I don't see why he wouldn't be on our side with this," Shisui said as Sakura finished up. She began wrapping his torso tightly in bandages to support his still fragile bones.

"There your ribs weren't as bad as I thought but still you will have to take it easy. They aren't completely healed. "Also I'm curious what is Kotoamatsukami?" Shisui shot a look at Itachi and the younger man nodded as if giving permission for something.

"It's a special genjutsu that only I can do. You can cast it over a mass of people and they would have no idea they were under a genjutsu at all. You can alter their memories and make them think something happened when it really didn't. Basically I'm planning on casting it over the entire clan to stop the attack." He paused "And thanks to you, things should go off without a hitch. Thank you, Sakura. I don't know the specific reason why you were there but I'm sure glad you were," he said a small smile curving his lips.

"My pleasure, I'm just happy I got there in time." She said with a small smile of her own. Itachi walked forward and leaned down kissing her temple softly before whispering in her ear.

"Thank you." Sakura's smile widened when she saw the gratitude clear as day in Itachi's eyes. If he hadn't already forgiven her she knew he would have now.

"Why can you be the only one to cast Kotoamatsukami?" Sakura asked again, curiosity getting the best of her.

"I have awakened my Mangekyo Sharingan," Shisui said activating said Sharingan to show Sakura. She saw the same pattern she had earlier when he was going to give a last ditch effort to get rid of the remaining ROOT members.

"Does every Uchiha end up awakening that at some point?" She asked again. Itachi spoke up this time.

"No, only when an Uchiha feels great emotional pain will they awaken their Mangekyo."

"Right," Shisui agreed. "I awoken mine when my parents were killed."

"To achieve great power we must endure great pain." Itachi said quietly, almost to himself. Sakura frowned. That sounded horrible. Silence stretched out between the three of them before Itachi spoke again.

"Are you feeling well enough to make a trip to Hokage tower?" Itachi asked Shisui with a raised eye brow. The oldest of the three nodded and stood, relieved he could breathe normally after Sakura had healed him.

000

"He did what!?" Hiruzen asked rather loudly making Sakura flinch at the uncharacteristic level of his voice. Hiruzen's face scrunched up in what could only be described as fury.

"The Clan assembly starts in twenty minutes, sir," Shisui said after a moment of silence.

"Right. Go ahead with your original plan, Shisui." He paused his eyes narrowing. "I will handle Danzo and keep him under a watchful eye until you have succeeded, you have my word. He won't be bothering you anymore if I have any say in it."

"Thank you Hokage-sama." The three shinobi said in unison before bowing and leaving the room.

000

Sakura sat impatiently back at the house with Sasuke as Itachi and Shisui did what they needed to do at the clan wide meeting currently being held. As Sakura watched Sasuke finish his Academy homework, no longer seeming to need her help, or even Itachi's help anymore she couldn't help but be overly happy. At the same time she knew she shouldn't get ahead of herself. Shisui and Itachi's plan wasn't complete yet. Things could still go wrong but she felt like everything would be okay now. She had more or less succeeded in saving Sasuke and Itachi. If Shisui's Kotoamatsukami worked out like it was supposed to her mission would be complete, and that alone made her smile.

"Why are you so happy, Sakura?" Sasuke asked suddenly with a small mirroring smile of his own. She grinned before leaning down from her spot on the couch to ruffle his spikey black hair.

"Just thinking about happy stuff," she said vaguely and was surprised when he accepted that answer and turned back to his work.

"Let go out drinking!" Came the sudden shout as Shisui burst through the door, the biggest of smiles on his face. Sakura raised a questioning brow at Itachi only for him to smirk and roll his eyes.

"You idiot, don't get ahead of yourself." Itachi grumbled lowly.

"What has you so excited Shisui?" Came Mikoto's soft voice from behind them. The question made Shisui frown for a split second before he turned to her and grinned.

"Do I of all people really need an excuse to celebrate, Mikoto?" He asked raising a brow. The woman smirked and rolled her eyes. She glanced around a bit before leaning in close to Shisui yet speaking loud enough so everyone could hear.

"Well whatever your celebrating I want in on it, can I come?" She asked. Sakura's snorted so loud Sasuke gave her a weird look as she began to laugh. This in turn made Itachi start to crack up a bit and soon everyone, aside from Sasuke, who just looked confused began to laugh.

Joy bloomed inside Sakura's chest and not just from laughter. But from complete undiluted _happiness_ that it had worked, she had succeeded and she couldn't have done it without Itachi and Shisui, but regardless they had all wanted the same thing. They did it! Everything would be okay now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kotoamatsukami is such a mouthful e_e seriously trying saying it out loud xD  
> Yay for carefree Mikoto! xD Come on who wouldn't wanna party with Itachi and Sasuke's mom? I think she's a 'in the closet' party animal xD
> 
> Also...I hope you enjoyed this but don't take this happy ending to the chapter too seriously...consider this a warning from me...


	20. A Blade In The Dark

Four days had passed since the genjutsu on the clan was cast. Everyone was happy and there seemed to be no more talk of a coup. The Hokage was pleased with the outcome as well as how it came about. He was happy Itachi didn't end up having to make the sacrifice he originally did. Hiruzen had posted a few ANBU around the compound to make sure talk of the attack had completely ceased but other than that everything was calm.

Sakura was leaving in three more days. Itachi had made it clear he wasn't happy about her leaving but knew it was the only way. She needed to return to her own time to make things go back to normal. They both had been making the most of this last week she would be spending here, even right now they were holed up in Itachi's room making _memories._

Itachi was breathing hard as Sakura trailed feather light kisses down his torso to his stomach all the while locking eyes with him. She slowly got closer to where he wanted her most. His breathing hitched when she snuck her hand under the waistband of his pants, almost there…

A light knocking made the pair freeze and look toward the locked bedroom door.

"Nii-san!" Sasuke called, his nasally, stuffed up voice slightly muffled from the thick wood separating them. Sakura felt bad for the kid, he had been sick with a bad cold for a few days now. He had no appetite at all and he had been feeling quite bad. Sakura had done her best to make him feel better with her medical ninjutsu but she knew the virus just needed to run its course.

Neither occupant spoke a word as Sakura glanced up at Itachi to see him place a finger over his lips in a silent request for her to stay quiet. Itachi was sure that if he didn't respond, his brother would leave them be for at least another ten minutes. Sakura rolled her eyes but stayed silent. Sasuke grasped the handle of the door and twisted it, pouting when he realized it was locked. He tried a different approach.

"Sakura-nee? Are you in there?" Sakura removed her hand from Itachi's pants, her eyes wide. Did he just call her Sakura-nee? Warmth spread through her chest at the fact that Sasuke seen her as an older sister. A small smile spread across her face and Itachi held back a groan of frustration. He knew Sakura wouldn't stay silent now.

"Yes Sasuke?" She asked climbing off the bed and making her way toward the door. Itachi sat up pulling the blanket across his lap to hide the impressive tent currently at the front of his pants. Sasuke Uchiha the ultimate cock-block, who knew?

"There are two girls and the idiot running around the compound trying to find me, can you make them go away?" Sasuke asked once Sakura had opened the door. Sasuke walked in narrowing his red rimmed, slightly glassy looking eyes at his Aniki. Clearly Itachi had ignored him.

"Why didn't you answer me?" Sasuke pouted, sniffing loudly, his black eyes still narrowed with his cheeks puffed out. He looked like hell, his nose and eyes were red and his usual black spiky hair seemed almost wilted as if reflecting the way he was feeling.

"I was busy doing…adult stuff, Otouto." Itachi said blandly making Sakura snicker behind her hand which earned her a half-hearted glare from her lover.

"Sasuke who are these girls?" Sakura asked curiously grinning at the memory of his entire female fan base while they were in the Academy together.

"I don't remember their names," the little Uchiha admitted, his pout gone. "One is blonde and the other was the Sakura look alike I told you about a while ago." Sakura froze her grin dropping clean off her face as she looked at Itachi. He had the smallest of frowns on his face but didn't seem overly worried.

"Sakura it won't much matter at this point if people start asking questions," Itachi said raising an eyebrow. Sakura nodded and knew he was right. She would be gone soon and it wouldn't matter at all. Sakura glanced down at Sasuke and her heart ached slightly. Itachi had told her not to tell the boy that she was leaving. He said he would handle it when the time comes. Itachi had made a good point when he told Sakura it would be too easy for Sasuke to slip up and tell Fugaku about it and that wasn't something Itachi felt like dealing with at the moment.

She knew these two would hurt longer and harder than she would. For her there would literally be minutes before she would see these two again but it still hurt knowing how much they would end up missing her. She continued to look at Sasuke who was looking back and forth between the both of them curiously, probably still waiting for an answer to his earlier question.

"So will you help make them go away?" Sasuke asked. Sakura nodded.

"Of course," she said as she watched out of the corner of her eye as Itachi got out of bed and picked up his shirt from the ground before ushering both of them out of the room and followed them down stairs.

"Where were you two?" Mikoto asked Sakura and Itachi as Fugaku accepted the cup of tea she handed him at the table. Sasuke looked at his mother before innocently stating

"Doing adult stuff in their room." He said "Right Aniki?" he asked looking up at a now slightly paler Itachi. Sakura choked on her own spit and silence stretched throughout the room. Sasuke looked around confused. Had he said something wrong? Sakura didn't fail to notice the way Fugaku's face was beginning to turn an unhealthy shade of red, his eyes hard.

"Umm…Itachi lets go tend to that fangirl issue now." Sakura said grabbing Itachi's wrist and pulling him toward the door. Itachi didn't miss the knowing smile Mikoto sent his way and it made the tension in his body lesson slightly, all he wanted was his mother's approval and it seems he got it. He would just have to deal with his father's wrath later.

000

"Sakuraaaa, why are we in the Uchiha compound?" Naruto groaned quietly, following the two girls as they ducked into alleyways trying to be stealthy.

"Naruto, Shut _up_ ," she paused looking over at Ino as the blonde glared at her.

"Why is he here? He's going to get us caught!" Ino growled. Naruto rolled his eyes, as if they weren't already caught. The small boy looked toward the entrance to the alleyway at the amused faces looking at them which instantly turned to slightly alarmed when they spotted him. Naruto crossed his arms, he was used to the looks but that didn't mean it hurt any less, thankfully the girls hadn't outright told him to get lost yet. Naruto smirked and knew even if they did tell him to leave he wouldn't. He knew they were here looking for Sasuke. He was quite interested in seeing where he lives too.

"I'm so excited to see Sasuke-kun!" Sakura squealed rather loudly for a 'stealth' mission.

"Kami, I was an annoying little girl," Sakura groaned softly from her perch beside a clearly amused Itachi as they watched the three young kids closely.

"I think you were…cute," Itachi admitted nudging her shoulder slightly. Sakura pouted, he was teasing her.

"You can admit it, you think I was annoying as hell. Sasuke sure thought I was," She said with a slight eye roll. Itachi shrugged slightly and looked back at the kids.

"So what should we do about this?" Itachi asked curiously. Sakura sighed,

"I'll take care of it. You stay up here and watch if you want," she told him with a grin. He nodded and watched as she jumped smoothly from the rooftop and landed softly beside the three 'stealthy' Academy students.

"Ahh!" Naruto shouted throwing his hands up as Sakura landed directly beside him.

"What do _you_ three think you're doing, hm?" she asked raising a pink brow in question. She made sure she had a slightly scary expression on her features as she waited for an answer.

"Umm…well we ah….do you know where Sasuke-kun is?" little Sakura asked bravely. Sakura rose her brow further before answering

"I do, but Sasuke doesn't want any visitors," she explained.

"Hey! Why do you think you can speak for Sasuke?" Naruto asked from her side, his voice angry. Sakura softened her look before turning toward Naruto and offering him a smile. His eyes widened at the expression after assuming she would look at him with anger like everyone else did.

"I can because Sasuke told me he didn't." Little Sakura crossed her arms in a pout.

"Why do you look like me?" She asked innocently, her head tilted to the side. Her green eyes held slight confusion. This woman had the same pink hair as she did, same coloured eyes and same facial features. Sakura sighed before approaching the two young girls and squatting right in front of them. She placed a hand on each of their shoulders and spoke.

"There is something I need to tell the both of you," She starting waiting for their nod. They both seemed confused but nodded anyways and she continued "Stay friends no matter what okay? Don't let a boy get in between you both," She turned and looked at the little version of herself. "And you, give up on Sasuke, you'll end up being with someone so much better anyways," she finished with a wink. She stood then and looked at both the girls again "Now both of you run along and leave poor Sasuke alone," she said sternly.

"Hai!" They both said in unison before dashing away and toward the entrance to the compound. Naruto turned and went to follow but Sakura's hand on his shoulder stopped him and she knelt in front of him.

"Naruto, it gets better okay? You will eventually make a lot of friends and not everyone will treat you badly forever. I promise."

"How do you know that?" he asked his voice quiet. This was so weird. Who was this person? Naruto watched in shock as this pink haired woman who had a striking resemblance to Sakura leant forward and hugged him close to her.

"I just do okay? Trust me, it gets better. Just be good and try not to get into too much trouble," she advised. Sakura didn't fail to notice the way Naruto's arms remained limp at his sides during her hug and she frowned at the knowledge that this was probably the first hug he has gotten for as long as he could remember and probably didn't know how to react. This only made her hug him tighter once, before pulling back and giving him a warm smile. "You should go too. Remember stay out of trouble okay?" As if in a bit of a daze Naruto nodded once before taking off in the direction that the two girls had gone.

Sakura felt Itachi dropped smoothly beside her and wrap his arm around her waist, pulling her closer. He buried his nose in her pink hair and smirked.

"End up with someone much better, eh?" He asked making Sakura grin.

"Of course," she said turning into him and laying a soft kiss on his lips. "You're definitely much better. Now how about we go and continue what we were doing before Sasuke interrupted us?" she asked with a wink. Itachi smirked again and nodded.

"hn, I like that idea," he agreed.

000

"Sakura!" Akarui squealed before launching herself at the startled pinkette who had just barely caught the teen before nearly toppling over.

"Akarui?"

"Sakura, Shisui-nii told me everything! You saved us! Thank you so much!" She cried gripping Sakura in a strong hug. Sakura laughed and hugged her back.

"So if he told you everything, you know I'm leaving right?" Akarui pulled back and frowned.

"Yea," she said with a pout. "Tomorrow afternoon right? For a really long time? The details of why and where you're going for that time I don't know but Shisui said he couldn't tell me anymore than that." Sakura's expression turned sad as well as she nodded. Inside she was relieved that the time travel part was left out. The group of them began to walk in the direction of the restaurant they had chosen to eat at for lunch.

"Yes. I wish I could stay," she said honestly.

"We do too! We are all going to miss you, but we will definitely see each other again in the future, right?" Sakura nodded enthusiastically with a small smile taking over her sad expression.

"What are you two planning to do tonight? Your last night together before Sakura leaves?" Shisui asked curiously.

"Well we don't exactly have a solid plan. We were thinking of maybe going out for dinner and just spending the night together," Itachi offered as an explanation. Sakura nodded in agreement getting closer to Itachi as the four of them continued to walk eventually coming up to the restaurant and entering it all together.

As they sat down at a table Akarui looked at Sakura curiously from her seat directly in front of the pinkette.

"So I'm confused as to where exactly you're going tomorrow and why. I'm also curious as to what brought you to us in the first place," she admitted. Shisui shot her a slight warning look.

"Imouto, you know I told you all I was allowed to," Shisui said a small frown on his face. Shisui knew everything. The Hokage had allowed the truth of Sakura's mission to be told to Shisui but he was to tell no one else, not even his little sister. So Shisui had honoured that and only told Akarui the bare minimum.

"I know, nii-san. I just, I don't understand. You don't have to give me detailed answers I just want to understand more."

"All I can tell you about why I'm here is that it was a mission to stop the clan's plan to attack the village. I just never knew I would get as attached as I did to you all."

"How did you know it was happening?" she asked her eyes wide in interest.

"I…just did, that's something I can't disclose," Sakura answered. Akarui nodded in understanding.

"Are you actually from the Leaf Village?"

"Yes."

"So they sent you on this mission?"

"I guess you could say that," Sakura admitted. She felt Itachi tuck a stray lock of her pink hair behind her ear making Akarui grin.

"You guys are so adorable," she said making Itachi retract his hand almost as if now realizing what he was doing. Even though these two knew of their relationship Itachi didn't exactly like to display it.

"Any other questions I can try to answer?"

"How long exactly are you going to be away for?" Sakura glanced at Itachi once before answering

"Ten years," she answered shortly. Silence fell over the table as each of them glanced toward Akarui waiting for her reaction. Her eyes were wide and her mouth had popped open in shock. She looked at Itachi incredulously.

"Why so long? Where are you going? Itachi are you actually _ok_ with this?" Itachi shrugged lightly trying to downplay his feelings towards it.

"I don't have much of a choice," he said

"The reason it's so long is another thing I can't tell you and where I'm going is secret as well." Akarui blew a breath out in frustration. Shisui smirked.

"See, Akarui. Your curiosity hasn't gotten you very far has it? If anything it's made you more confused." Akarui glared at her older brother, knowing he was right.

"Okay fine, back to more normal conversation then," she grumbled just as their waitress arrived with their food.

As Sakura was saying her goodbyes to Shisui and Akarui the young girl hugged her tight and whispered softly in her ear so only she could hear.

"Seriously Sakura thank you for saving my brother that day. I don't-" she paused and swallowed thickly "-I don't know what I would do without him." Sakura found herself smiling and hugging Akarui harder

"You're welcome Akarui, I'm happy I was able to," she said honestly before pulling back from the hug. Sakura hoped that everyone she grew to love here was healthy and alive when she got back to the future. Being a shinobi had its downfalls though and your life was never guaranteed.

000

Later that night after their dinner date Sakura and Itachi made their way back home.

"I'm so full," Sakura groaned rubbing her hand over her stomach. "Thank you for dinner." She said stepping up on her tip toes to kiss Itachi chastely. He smiled and kissed her temple before they continued walking.

"You're welcome."

"I can't believe it's already seven o'clock." Sakura hummed as they walked through the slightly darkened streets of the compound. It was silent but there were a few lights on in some of the houses they passed. As Sakura and Itachi walked up the steps and into the house they immediately noticed that all the lights in the house were off. Itachi furrowed his brow slightly in confusion. It was a little early for his parents to be in bed. Sasuke he could understand since the boy was sick but it was slightly odd that his parents were sleeping at this hour too. Sakura grabbed the small piece of paper that had been left out on the table.

"It's from your mother," Sakura said quietly. "She said everyone was pretty tired after they ate dinner so they turned in early. She also said Sasuke barely ate two bites of his food so if we are still hungry there are his leftovers in the fridge."

"Hn, okay. Are you tired?" He asked as he watched Sakura throw out the piece of paper.

"Kind of," she admitted before coming up beside him and grabbing his hand. "I don't really want to sleep though. I don't care what we do, I just want to spend the rest of the night with you." Itachi smiled and squeezed her hand slightly before pulling her toward the stairs.

"I think I'd like that."

After they both checked on a sleeping Sasuke, making sure he was okay, they settled into Itachi's bed and got comfortable. Sakura rested her cheek again Itachi's warm chest, the sound of his steady heart beat making her calm. Itachi let out a small sigh and Sakura looked up at him to see he was frowning, his eyes trained on the ceiling.

"What is it?" she asked. She felt his arm curl around her tighter before he spoke.

"It's nothing." Sakura frowned, she knew he was lying.

"It's okay, you can tell me what's bothering you."

"It's just…" he sighed again "I'm going to miss you is all." He admitted a timid blush dusting the tops of his cheeks from his confession. Sakura smiled lightly and kissed his chest, right above his heart.

"Even though I won't have to wait long to see you, I'm going to miss you too. You and Sasuke should be there waiting for me on the day I'm supposed to arrive," she said with a quiet voice. "I think that would make us all happy."

"I will be there," he said honestly. That wasn't something he would miss for the world.

"I can't believe we succeeded," Sakura said with a grin. "The knowledge that Sasuke won't be dead when I get back to the future is so relieving."

"Hn, it is for me too. As soon as you told me that, I knew I would do everything in my power to prevent Sasuke from being executed."

"Yes, and we did it. Although I wouldn't have been able to do it without you and Shisui. I'm glad you trusted me enough to let me stick around."

"Sakura I've never felt as strongly about someone as I do you. Not trusting you just didn't feel right to me and after hearing your full story I realized you were on my side. You weren't here to hurt me or my family you were here to save us." Sakura nodded against his chest.

"I love you," she murmured softly. She felt a kiss press against her hair. She smiled at the gesture, knowing it was Itachi's way of saying he loved her too.

"Sleep, Sakura. We have tomorrow morning and all afternoon to spend with each other."

Sakura took his advice and after closing her eyes fell asleep rather quickly.

000

Sakura wasn't sure what woke her. Either it was the tightening of Itachi's grip on her body or the tension seeming to radiate off of him but the fog of sleep cleared from her mind almost instantly. She cracked her eye open a small amount to see Itachi's eyes were still closed. Yet his grip tightened on her still. She knew he wasn't asleep and his fingers were digging painfully into her hip. She was about to open her eyes and demand to know why he was hurting her but the idea died as quickly as it had come. The hair on the back of her neck and arms suddenly stood on end. Something wasn't right. There was a...presence in the room and it wasn't either of them. There was a third person in the room with them and this person was not far from the bed. As her body froze in Itachi's arms the man knew she had noticed at this point and lifted three fingers off of her hip. He laid one finger down in a silent signal that he was counting.

Sakura knew almost instinctively what Itachi was doing and as he laid his second finger down in a way that the person in the room couldn't see Sakura knew Itachi was one finger away from lunging at the intruder and taking him by surprise. So when his third finger pressed against her hip Sakura quickly rolled away from him giving him more space to jump up and out of bed in one fluid motion, his arm reaching down to retrieve the hidden kunai underneath his bed that Sakura knew was there.

Before the pinkette could fully jump out of the bed herself Itachi had the intruder pinned to the wall. Itachi held the man's hands in one hand, pinning them above their heads and had the kunai pressed up against his throat. The man didn't move an inch and without looking at her, Itachi spoke.

"Sakura…get to Sasuke, now!" he ordered and Sakura knew him well enough to sense the slight tone of fear in his voice. Without a moment's hesitation Sakura crossed the room and ran out the door.

Please, _please_ let Sasuke be okay!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gomen,gomen, sorry, sorry! DONT HATE ME!


	21. A Blade In The Dark: Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING!:You may need a box of tissues for this one folks. I cried while writing it and Li-chan also cried while reading it soooo its safe to assume its gonna be a sad one T^T I'm sorry everyone I had this planned from the start and even though I may not have wanted to make it happen it needed to. So please don't hate me v_v

As Sakura raced down the hallway to Sasuke's room adrenaline coursed through her at top speed. Her heart hammered against her ribs almost painfully and fear for Sasuke's wellbeing was making her crazy. Why was this happening? Who could be attacking them? Was it just the head family or was the entire clan being attacked right now. These thoughts were swimming through her head as she burst through the door to the little Uchiha's room. There was indeed someone there, hovering over his bed with a kunai held above him, ready to come down and end his life. The man or woman was wearing a cloak with a hood on so Sakura couldn't see their face. That was the last thing on the pinkette's mind though and immediately chakra flooded to her clenched fist as the person noticed her there and brought the kunai down.

Sakura lunged foreword with a shout, her fist connecting with the intruders head. Sakura knew as soon as the hood fell off that it was a woman and said woman was now flying across the room, hitting the wall so hard the window cracked and there was a body sized dent in the drywall. Blood steadily poured from the woman's head, her mask shattered, pieces of it lying on the floor around her. Sakura went over and made sure she was dead before coming to Sasuke's side. She gulped when she saw the kunai imbedded in the pillow beside his face. A sigh of relief bubbled up from her chest. She had missed. Thank kami she had missed.

"Sasuke," Sakura called quietly as she ran her fingers through his soft hair. His breathing was deep and slow signifying he was in a rather deep sleep. This surprised Sakura because even if the boy was a heavy sleeper Sakura had literally punched someone into a wall he should have woken up immediately. He was sleeping on his back, his arms spread out at his sides and his head lying to the left, facing Sakura. She placed her hand on his chest and let her chakra invade his body. Her breathing hitched when she immediately sensed a disturbance in his little body. Poison. She continued to check him over digging deeper to try and find the source of where the poison had originated from and found it. The stomach, the food he had eaten had been poisoned. Sakura immediately came to the conclusion it was only a deadly poison if more of it was consumed.

Sasuke hadn't eaten more than two bites of his dinner tonight so Sakura knew he would be okay, it was just acting like a mild sedative and he would only need to sleep it off. She withdrew her chakra and carefully picked Sasuke up. His eyes opened slightly at being moved and his arms wrapped around Sakura's neck, his legs following suit and wrapping around her waist.

"kura-nee?" he mumbled against her neck. Sakura looked up to see Itachi standing in the door, his ANBU vest on and Katana strapped to his back. He wore his Leaf headband and his eyes were hard with something Sakura couldn't quite place.

"Shh, Sasuke. Go back to sleep, its okay," she soothed. Rubbing his back slightly. She felt him nod, his face nuzzling against her neck as he fell asleep again. She followed Itachi out of the room as they approached Fugaku and Mikoto's room. A sinking feeling entered Sakura's stomach as they drew closer. In her heart she knew they were dead. If the food was poisoned there was no way they wouldn't have died after falling asleep. From what she could tell the poison used makes the victim very tired and once they fall asleep, they never wake up again. Sakura felt her grip on Sasuke tighten as she thanked Kami he didn't have an appetite. As they entered the room Sakura carefully passed Sasuke to his brother before she made her way over to the two people lying in the bed. There was a stab wound to both of their hearts but as she examined them she knew they had not died from that injury, whoever did this stabbed them to make sure they were dead. Sakura's eyes stung as she looked at Mikoto. The woman's pale face was calm and beautiful as always and Sakura felt sadness at her death wash over her. She was such an amazing woman, how could someone do this?

"Who did this?" Sakura asked, her voice surprisingly even. Sakura noticed the tightness in Itachi's voice as he answered.

"Foundation." Anger slashed through Sakura's body like a whip.

"Danzo!?" She hissed. Itachi's expression remained impassive as he gave a sharp nod. "Then this isn't just about the head family, he's going after the entire clan," Sakura concluded, her hands curling into fists at her side as she took two steps toward Itachi and held her arms out for Sasuke again. The taller man didn't hesitate to hand his brother back over to the pinkette and once Sasuke seemed comfortable again, his face buried into Sakura's warm neck they left the room to go downstairs.

000

Shisui's eyes open to reveal a dark room. He had a weird feeling in the pit of his stomach that something was wrong. The feeling was clearly strong enough to wake him from sleep. His eyes closed again as he let his senses push outward throughout the apartment. He felt a sudden burst of chakra in his sister's room just as he heard,

"Shisui!"

The sound of his younger sister's scream had Shisui's eyes flying open. His whole body tensing as he practically flew from his bed. His blankets were tangled around his legs, threatening to trip him, but he easily stepped out of them and ran from his room. His blood felt ice cold with fear as he shot down the hallway of their small apartment to her bedroom, dressed only in a pair of sleep pants. The sounds of a scuffle could be heard as Shisui pushed the bedroom door open in time to see a kunai impale itself into Akarui's neck making Shisui's stomach drop through the floor. As Akarui's body fell to the floor with a thud that seemed to echo through his head, rage shot through Shisui's body. He lunged forward, his sharingan activating immediately as he tackled the cloaked figure over Akarui's bed.

They both tumbled off the mattress and landed on the floor on the other side of the bed. The enemy had an animal mask on but the rest of his attire made Shisui's eyes widen as his hands clasped around the man's neck tightly. This person was from the foundation; ninja specially trained under Danzo. Shisui growled under his breath, adrenaline and rage flowing freely through his veins. The man beneath him reached up, the bloody kunai he had used to kill Akarui turned outward ready to slice at Shisui as his neck was squeezed painfully tight. Shisui backed up enough to dodge the attack and grabbed the weapon out of the already weak man's hand. At this point Shisui's mind was blank. He brought the kunai down harshly and it imbedded itself into the enemy's chest. Shisui refused to stop there. With a cry of anguish and frustration he continued to stab him over and over again. Blood coated his hands and splattered over his bare chest. He didn't stop, he couldn't stop.

He had lost count of how many times he had brought the weapon down. His actions were controlled by the pain he felt in his chest, the pain caused by witnessing the death of his baby sister.

"Nii-san." The small whisper from the other side of the bed made Shisui freeze his assault on the long since dead shinobi beneath him. Within a millisecond he was over the bed and kneeling beside Akarui. His bloody hands shook as they placed pressure on the still heavily bleeding wound at the spot where her left shoulder met her neck. It seems the attack missed her neck just enough to not kill her instantly.

"Imouto." He said his voice shaky "I thought you were dead." The dying girl managed a small smirk.

"Now…now." She paused gasping slightly as a trail of blood exited her mouth making Shisui's heart squeeze "I'm stronger than that." she admonished lightly. She frowned then. "But I am going to die, Shisui-nii…" she said tears gathering in her dark eyes.

"No you aren't." Shisui said suddenly determined as he went to go and pick her up, not missing the stab wound in her stomach as well.

"No!" she said sharply making him pause. He looked at her, the hurt in his eyes at seeing her so vulnerable clear to her. She lightened her tone before speaking again "It's okay brother, its…over for me." She paused again smiling sweetly at her big brother. "I can be with mom and dad again."

Shisui's throat tightened and tears threatened to gather. "Don't leave me, Akarui." He said his voice thick with emotion. She continued to smile as Shisui sat down, crossing his legs and he pulled her close to him so she was carefully cradled in his arms. She was deathly pale and the older Uchiha knew she wouldn't last more than another minute.

"I love you Nii-san." She cried her smile still in place. Shisui leant down and placed a soft kiss on his little sister's temple before forcing a smile of his own. He masked the pain of his heart breaking in two so she wouldn't haven't see that in her last moments of life.

"I love you too, Imouto." He whispered the burn of tears pricking at the back of his eyes. He wouldn't let them fall. He wouldn't be weak like that. Akarui lifted her hand weakly to cup the left side of Shisui's face. He leaned into her cool touch.

"I will…give kaa-san and tou-san your love…." She paused another stream of blood exiting her mouth followed by a small cough as she curled into her Shisui-nii's warmth one last time. "Goodb-" she started before she sucked in a sudden breath her eyes widening and her hand falling onto her stomach limply before her body went soft in Shisui's arms.

Shisui's heart broke and he swore in the silence of the room he could hear the crack it made. His sister, his sweet baby sister had just died in his arms. She was gone for good, just like his parents. Now he had no one. He was alone. Why did these things happen to him!? Why was the world so cruel and insensitive? Shisui's eyes hardened in anger; Danzo was behind this. Either Danzo's initial target was him or he was aiming for Akarui to weaken Shisui's emotional state. Regardless he was a heartless man and Shisui hated him like no one ever had before.

A sort of numbness flowed over the man as he stood, cradling Akarui in his arms gently before making his way to her bed. His arms and chest were slippery with blood, none of which was his. He laid Akarui in her bed and covered her with her blankets before running his hands over her eyes, closing them. He then left the room, his mind was blank. His body was numb of any feelings. All he could feel was emptiness and as he made his way to his room he thought about his Mangekyo, he knew if he hadn't already awakened that after his parent's death, losing his sister would have awakened it for sure.

After dressing in his regular shinobi attire, he placed his weapon in its place on his shoulder strap before he entered Akarui's room once again. Her dark eyes were closed and if it wasn't for all the blood on her, Shisui could almost pretend she was sleeping. The man gritted his teeth, no, she wasn't sleeping. She was gone, and it was his fault. He couldn't protect her, he couldn't protect the most important thing to him. What did that say about the kind of ninja he was, he was a failure. He leant over her still form and laid a soft, drawn out kiss on her still warm forehead.

"I will come back for you, Imouto…" he whispered against her soft skin "I promise I will. I love you." He said once more before turning on his heel and leaving his home. Something was clearly wrong and he needed to make sure Itachi and his family were okay.

000

Itachi unsheathed his katana immediately when his front door burst open. He took a stance in front of Sakura who was still carrying a passed out Sasuke against her chest, needing to protect her and his little brother at all costs. He immediately relaxed when he realized it was Shisui who had entered his home. Immediately the raven knew something was wrong. He put away his weapon and slowly approached his cousin who looked like he had been through hell and back. His eyes held such a haunted and painful emotion that Itachi was immediately wary at how calm Shisui was at the moment.

"Cousin, are you alright?" Itachi asked after a moment of silence. Shisui hadn't even greeted them which was abnormal in and of itself. Itachi also noticed as he approached the man, that his hands were blood stained. The blood ran up to his elbow.

"Shisui, where is Akarui?" Sakura asked from behind Itachi. Her voice sounded strained as if she was worried. The pain that flashed through Shisui's eyes again made Itachi stop short, a small shot of realization flowing through him. Oh no. Shisui frowned

"She's dead." He said flatly making Sakura cover her mouth in shock and sadness. She made sure her free arm was still holding Sasuke securely to her chest.

"Oh no." she whispered behind her hand.

"Shisui, what happened?" Itachi asked immediately, taking another step toward his cousin. Clearly the man was in shock. He was too calm and collected right now. As if a robot had taken over, Shisui relayed everything in detail that led up to Akarui's death in a monotone voice. Slowly as his explanation wound down, however, his voice cracked along with his calm and composed façade.

"She's gone." He gasped his knees buckling slightly as tears pooled in his eyes before quickly escaping and cascading down his cheeks. Itachi lunged forward to catch his best friend and before Itachi knew what came over him he wrapped his arms around Shisui and let the older man sob into his chest as they both sunk to the floor. The anguished cries echoed through the living room ripping at both Itachi and Sakura's hearts. "I couldn't save her!" he cried "My baby sister is dead and it's all my fault." He sobbed his shoulders quaking as his tears soaked the front of Itachi's vest. His arms were wrapped around Itachi so tightly it was almost painful. Itachi ignored it.

Neither of the room's occupants had ever seen such a display from the usual fun and carefree man. Seeing him so broken and lost was overwhelming. Sakura held onto Sasuke tighter as she remembered the kind and loving face of Uchiha Akarui, her thoughts then went to Itachi and Sasuke's parents who were also killed. Something strong in Sakura's gut told her this was far from the end. There would be many deaths to come tonight. This was only the beginning.

As Sakura took in the sobbing mess Shisui was resigned too she couldn't help but be angry. Danzo was destroying people's lives, and for what!? The clan wasn't attempting the takeover anymore, why were they still considered a threat? Deep down Sakura knew that taking out the clan because of their plan to attack the village was a mere excuse, his plans ran deeper than that. Clearly no matter what, Danzo wanted the Uchiha out of the way. Why though? Sakura believed that was something they might never find out.

It killed Itachi to see his cousin in so much pain. The front of his vest was soaked with tears that didn't seem to want to stop. It was like Deja vu for the raven. His memories took him back to when Shisui's parents had died, although this time around Shisui was a much bigger mess. Itachi didn't know what else he could do so he squeezed Shisui toward him tightly and let him cry.

No one knew how much time passed but eventually Shisui's cries quieted and turned to soft sniffles. Sakura wanted the man to have his moment but who knew what was going on out there, how many people were dying while they sat here.

"Itachi…" she began feeling guilty for interrupting. He bowed his head and patted Shisui on the back.

"I know," he whispered in response to Sakura. She nodded and watched as the two men stood. Shisui wiped the tears away from his red eyes and seemed to shake himself free of the awful emotions he was just plagued with.

"I'm fine. Let's go," he said shortly before turning toward the door.

"Wait we need a plan," Itachi said making Shisui turn around and give him a questioning look. "I need to take Sakura to our meeting place where she will stay with Sasuke until this is over."

"Smart, only the Uchiha know about that place," Shisui said with a nod.

"You go out and fight I will come find you once these two are safe."

"Itachi, I can help you-" Sakura began only to be cut off.

"No," he said shortly without even looking at her. "I don't doubt your skills, Sakura. But aside from Shisui you are the only one I trust to stay with my little brother, and to protect him with your life." Sakura's anger at feeling left out died as fast as it had come. He was right, her job was important. Shisui was a better fighter than her and he was needed so she knew she would be the one to stay with Sasuke and now that she thought about it she was okay with that, besides she needed to monitor him in case the poison took a different turn although she was almost positive it wouldn't.

"Right, I apologize."

"Okay, let's move out."

As they made their way toward this Uchiha meeting place Sakura tried to put out the screams of the people dying around her out of her head. It was true, Danzo wasn't just going after the stronger people he was massacring the clan. History apparently had a not so funny way of correcting itself. That thought left a bitter taste in Sakura's mouth. So they hadn't been so successful after all. The softly breathing child in her arms would yet again grow up without a family. Sakura looked forward at the back of her lover and swallowed thickly. He planned to go out and fight for his family, the ache in Sakura's heart that came with the thought that he might not come back to them made Sakura shake her head. No stop it, he is strong, he will come back! He has too!

"We're here," Itachi said as they entered a small building on the outskirts of the compound. They had run through the forest surrounding the houses and center of the compound so they had thankfully avoided the enemy as they were busy in the other parts, killing innocent people. Sakura followed Itachi as he stopped at the back of the big empty room. She stood at his side, looking down at the large stone slab that had the Uchiha fan on it. Proudly carved in and painted red and white. As he weaved the proper hand signs the stone tablet lifted with a groan and permitted them entrance.

Itachi followed Sakura down the stairs into the secret room. It was dark so Itachi went around and lit the dozen candles stationed around the room which gave the area a soft, eerie glow. Sakura removed the small blanket she had placed in between Sasuke and her chest and with one hand laid it down on the ground underneath one of the candles posted on the wall. She placed a still sleeping Sasuke on the blanket and flipped the bottom up to cover him and keep him warm.

"I have to go now," Itachi said approaching Sakura. It didn't take him long to be standing right in front of her. She looked up into his dark surprisingly unreadable eyes. The fact that she couldn't read them scared her slightly, they were…cold. She lifted her hand and laid it softly on his cheek.

"Are you okay?" she asked in a soft whisper. His eyes softened slightly and he leaned into her touch.

"I'll be okay," he paused moving forward to lay a kiss on her forehead. She felt him slip something down the front of her shirt, it felt like a piece of paper but she didn't move to look at it yet. "I'll be back soon." With that he turned around and moved toward the entrance to the meeting room.

"Be safe," she said not knowing if he heard her. He stopped walking and turned toward her offering a small reassuring smile.

"I will." Then he was gone and Sakura was left with Sasuke. She heard the stone move back into place and silence engulfed her. Sakura reached down the front of her shirt and removed the piece of paper Itachi had put there. She opened it up and her heart squeezed tightly as she read it.

_In case I don't return, here are the proper hand signs to move the stone. Please, take care of my little brother._

Below his message were the hand signs she would need to get out. Tears pricked at the corner of her eyes and she let her knees buckle and land harshly on the stone ground. She gritted her teeth from the slight shock of pain in her kneecaps but she didn't care. Even Itachi thought there was a possibility he wouldn't return. She glanced back at Sasuke, his breathing was even and his nose didn't seem so stuffed up anymore. If Itachi didn't make it back, Sasuke would be her responsibility. Could she raise him alone? She didn't have much of a choice. She could do it, she would find a way. Itachi would come back though, her gut told her he would and she trusted it more than anything.

000

"Kami, their endless!" Shisui grunted blocking a kunai as he stepped forward, further away from Itachi "Where are they all coming from?"

"Danzo knew it would take more than a few men to take down the clan. We wouldn't go down without a fight," Itachi said stabbing a woman through the chest and watching her lifeless body fall to the ground. Itachi knew his cousin was getting tired and so was he. They had been going at this for at least an hour now. The clan's numbers were dwindling fast. The weaker more vulnerable members had been picked off easily and now the only ones left were the more skilled Shinobi, mainly the police force.

"Did you use your Susano'o before I got here?" Itachi asked his voice sharp.

"Yes," the elder man admitted his voice regretful. Itachi knew that's why Shisui's energy was lower than his, he had used it twice now. They were currently surrounded by four ROOT members and Itachi knew if they kept coming like this neither of them would make it out of here. Taking on the foundation members proved to be difficult, even for Itachi and Shisui. Danzo had trained them well.

Shisui's eyes widened, a small gasp escaping his lips when he suddenly felt four sharp pains in his back. He turned his head slightly to look behind him. One of the enemies had thrown senbon at him. It took only a few seconds for Shisui to realize how bad the situation had just gotten. A painful burn began to spread along his back. His right leg buckled under his weight as the pain continued to spread and he went down to one knee leaving him wide open for an attack.

"Shisui!" Itachi called appearing at his cousin's side and cutting down the man who had been attempting to take advantage of Shisui's vulnerability. He was already in motion and was unable to dodge Itachi. Shisui gritted his teeth

"Grab onto me," he ordered quietly so only Itachi could hear. Without hesitation Itachi grabbed onto Shisui's arm. Shisui was gritting his teeth so hard against the pain his jaw hurt. He took a smoke bomb out of his pocket and threw it on the ground. It exploded just as he teleported them out of there.

"He's gone." A woman pointed out calmly, glancing around the area they were in.

"We need to find him." Another member said instantly and they scattered to search the surrounding forest.

00

Shisui was breathing heavily when they appeared in the middle of the forest not far from the secret meeting place.

"I've been poisoned with these senbons'." He gritted out. Itachi looked at his back and frowned before immediately pulling out the offending objects.

"You'll be fine. We need to get you to Sakura, she will be able to help."

"Itachi," Shisui began as he continued to rest on his knees. "The poison is spreading too fast. My back is on fire and I can feel it spreading to the rest of my body." Itachi was suddenly grabbing Shisui's arm and hauling the man to his feet. He threw Shisui's arm around his shoulders so he could support most of the man's weight before he began to run as best as he could. Shisui tried his best to keep up but he couldn't and his feet began to drag along the dirt ground, slowing them down considerably. Shisui's stomach suddenly rolled unpleasantly and he wretched himself away from Itachi, falling to the ground on all fours. He then threw up pure blood. It was clear to him then, that he had internal bleeding. Shisui wiped his mouth feeling Itachi come up beside him and rest a hand on his back.

"Itachi," the man whispered. "Just leave me."

"No! Are you insane? I will never leave you!"

"But before you leave me," Shisui continued as if Itachi hadn't said a word "Take my eyes, I can't stomach the thought of Danzo getting his blood stained hands on them. I can trust you with them and I don't even care what you do with them just keep them away from him." He said his breath coming in short pants. This poison was fast acting, faster than anything Shisui had ever heard about. The knowledge that he was about to die came easily to him. He wasn't scared, he wasn't sad, he was…content. He wouldn't be leaving Itachi by himself and that thought brought him peace.

With a growl of frustration Itachi grabbed Shisui's arm again and pulled him up off the ground before looping his other arm under Shisui's legs, picking the man up and holding him bridal style. Shisui's head dropped heavily onto Itachi's shoulder, his eyes drooping shut.

"Shisui! Don't you dare pass out on me," Itachi said loudly, glancing fearfully at his best friends face.

"It…hurts," the older man mumbled. The burn from the poison was spreading to his chest and torso. It wouldn't be long now. Shisui forced his eyes open and did his best to smile at his best friend. Although judging by Itachi's pained expression it wasn't a very good smile.

"Don't be sad 'tachi," he paused "My death won't be meaningless, you will get great power from it." Itachi cursed the tears pricking the corners of his eyes as he continued to run.

"Dammit, Shisui! Stay with me, you won't die! I won't let you!" Itachi cried, his voice cracking slightly. Shisui let his head drop against Itachi's shoulder. A sharp pain shot through his heart and his vision grew hazy, his eyes too heavy to stay open. Shisui's eyes closed and fear clutched at Itachi's heart making him run faster. He reached the secret place and opened the stone tablet, running down the stairs at full speed.

"Itachi-" Sakura's sentence died in her throat when she saw Itachi's facial expression. He brought Shisui over and laid him on the ground.

"He's been poisoned, save him, please, just like you saved me. He's still alive."

Sakura glanced down at Shisui. His lips were stained red from blood, his eyes closed and chest unmoving. She looked back up to Itachi's cold expression. Sakura knew right then that Itachi was shoving his feelings aside, making himself numb to the situation. He would _not_ accept Shisui's death. Sakura got to work immediately assessing the damage to Shisui's body. Her chakra invaded his body and she instantly noticed his heart was not beating. Raw fear and sadness clutched at Sakura's own heart. She immediately pinched Shisui's nose and placed her lips over, his giving him three of her own breaths and watching his chest barely rise and fall with each breath. She then threaded her fingers together and began chest compressions.

"What-?"

"Itachi," Sakura said her voice hard as she shut off her emotions for the time being. "Shisui isn't breathing, his heart isn't beating and I'm trying to change that. So please stay out of my way."

After five minutes of basic CPR Sakura forced herself to stop. It wasn't working. She let her healing chakra seep into Shisui's chest and tears stung her eyes as the full brunt of the situation crashed down on her. The poison had indeed wreaked havoc on his body, eating away at his organs to the point of no return. It had attacked his heart last and the muscle had inevitably given out and stopped. Even if she had continued CPR it was useless.

Shisui was dead and there was nothing she could do about it.

Sakura cringed at the pain of loss in her own chest and turned watery eyes to Itachi who was still sitting there staring at her, expectantly. Itachi had trusted her to bring his best friend back and she failed him. She reached for him then and flinched slightly when he backed away from her.

"Itachi…I, he is-"

"No," Itachi said shaking his head, his eyes hard. Sakura bowed her head, her tears slipping over the edge of her eye lids and streaming down her cheeks. She could feel a sob bubbling up in her chest but she kept it down, she needed to pull herself together for Itachi. He was going to need her more than ever now. She looked up then, wiping her eyes and lunged forward to grab onto Itachi's hands, pulling him down to her so he was kneeling in front of her. She grabbed each side of his face and forced their eyes to lock. Watery emerald to pain filled onyx.

"I'm sorry, 'Tachi. I couldn't bring him back, he was gone before he got here," she said her voice soft and quiet. Instantly Itachi's eyes began to water.

"No…" he said his voice broken. His Sharingan activated but Sakura didn't even react. His eyes flickered over to Shisui's still form. "Shisui…" he whispered turning his eyes back to Sakura's. Sakura bit her lip to keep from sobbing. She needed to be strong. Sakura's hands dropped from his face to rest on his shoulders as an anguished cry ripped its way from Itachi's chest and echoed throughout the room, cutting into Sakura's heart like a hot knife.

Sakura's eyes widened when Itachi's sharingan began to change, morphing slowly into a new design that Sakura recognized as his version of the Mangekyo Sharingan. Twin trails of blood fell from the corner of his eyes making him look like he was crying blood and Itachi's earlier words came back to her right then.

_"To achieve great power we must endure great pain."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gomen v_v *sob* *sniff* *Sob**begins to choke and drown in own tears* IM SORRY I HAD TO! GOD THIS IS KILLING ME AS MUCH AS ITS KILLING YOU I SWEAR! Shisui is my FAVOURITE character...this was so hard to do T-T my heart hurts...I need people to come and cry in the corner with me...please?
> 
> So this didnt end up being as long as I thought it would but even if it does seem fast paced its kind of supposed to be. The whole 'Everything happened so fast' thing applies here...


	22. Aftermath

"Danzo-sama." Danzo's eyes opened to reveal the darkness of his room. His head turned toward the voice to see someone kneeling beside his bed.

"What is it?"

"It's done, sir."

"A success?" He asked calmly before looking up to the ceiling.

"Yes and no," the man said quietly. Danzo turned to him again to see an animal mask staring back at him.

"What do you mean, yes and no?"

"The body count does not add up, sir. Uchiha Sasuke, Uchiha Itachi, Uchiha Shisui and the pink haired woman are nowhere to be found. They have escaped." Danzo kept his face impassive but inside he was tense. That wasn't good to hear.

"I see," he answered. If either of them were still alive, what happened tonight could and probably would be reported to Hiruzen. Danzo sat up, he had work to do.

000

Sakura ran through the back alleys and on the rooftops through the village, keeping out of view. She could see that news of the massacre had spread through the village like wildfire and it was only early morning. She needed to get to Lord Third as soon as possible. She dashed out of the trees and up the stairs leading to where she knew the Hokage's office was located.

"Excuse me! You can't-" Sakura ignored the woman trying to stop her as she opened the door to the office and barged in. Everyone in the room froze and suddenly Kakashi was in front of her pinning her hands behind her back and holding her against him so tight she couldn't move. One hand held her wrists together and the other was clamped down on her throat, although not tight enough to restrict her air intake.

"Kakashi. Let her go." Came the calm order from Hiruzen who was seated at his desk "The poor girl has been through a lot." Sakura winced when Kakashi let her wrists go and she brought them in front of her to rub at them slightly. She couldn't blame Kakashi for reacting in such a way, she did barge into the office unannounced and she knew the man didn't exactly trust her.

"I apologize, Lord third but I must speak with you in private if you'll allow it."

"Who is this woman?" asked an older woman Sakura immediately recognized as one of the village elders. To her side was a man whom Sakura also recognized as an advisor. Sakura's eyes continued on and her skin immediately prickled with hate and anger when her eyes landed on none other than Danzo. Her fists clenched at her side and she tried so very hard not to cross the distance between them and punch her fist through his chest. He had killed so many people last night it made her sick. The faces of Shisui, Akarui, Mikoto and even Fugaku flashed through her mind and a dull ache shot through her chest, such a waste of precious life. All for what? Hiruzen watched the pinkette's eyes harden when she had looked at Danzo. He knew Danzo had definitely noticed but still kept his calm expression planted on his face.

"Very well, everyone out of the room." Everyone hesitated looking toward Sakura warily.

"Are you sure?" the older woman asked. Hiruzen nodded.

"Yes, I will keep Kakashi with me."

Eventually everyone trickled out of the room, Danzo being last. Sakura pierced him with a hard glare as he walked past her she almost felt like spitting at his feet as a show of disrespect but reigned in that urge and forced herself to look forward once the door clicked shut. Hiruzen quickly stood and cast a barrier jutsu around the room so no one would over hear their conversation. When he returned to his chair Sakura dropped softly to her knees and bowed her head in shame.

"I failed." She said her voice tense. "I couldn't stop it from happening. I never once thought _he_ would do such a thing after the clan was no longer a threat. I'm so sorry."

"Sakura, stand up." Came the soft order and she looked up before rising slowly to her feet. "Who is he?"

"Danzo, sir," Sakura said honestly. "His foundation members came in the dead of night and murdered everyone." A look of slight pain and disappointment flashed through Hiruzen's eyes. Danzo had snuck under his radar and acted on his own. Hiruzen knew such an act was unforgivable. Seeing as he knew what the original outcome had been he understood why he more or less let Danzo off the hook for acting on his own. Now though, even though the clan was no threat he still took them out. This wasn't something he could let go and brush aside, Danzo would need to be punished.

"Uchiha Shisui, Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Sasuke are missing. Are they alive or dead," The third asked quietly. Kakashi was standing off to the side silently. However from years of being close with her sensei she could tell, under his black mask he was frowning. From what she understood Itachi and Kakashi had been close when Itachi had first joined ANBU, and he was awaiting confirmation on whether his friend and ally was dead or alive.

"Uchiha Itachi and Sasuke are alive sir. Shisui-" Sakura felt her throat close and tears prick her eyes. She stood up straighter and forced her feelings aside so she could speak properly. "Shisui was poisoned and brought to me. He died before I could help," she finished, her jaw clenched against the emotions raging inside her. Sakura saw Kakashi bow his head the slightest bit but whether it was in relief or sadness she wasn't sure.

"I see," was the response the hokage offered. His eyes stared straight ahead before closing slightly. "Shisui was a good ninja, one of my most trusted." With a sigh the man stood and walked around his desk. Sakura watched him pick up the pipe that was resting on the desk and put it in his mouth before lighting it. Smoke escaped through his nose as he levelled a glance at her. "What will you do now, Miss Haruno?" Sakura's eyes widened. That wasn't a question she had been expecting.

"I...I don't know," She admitted quietly. "What will you do about Danzo?"

"I'm not positive at the moment, you let me worry about what his fate will be." Sakura nodded before wracking her brain for a more suitable answer for him. Before she really knew what she was saying the words tumbled out of her mouth.

"I can't leave them sir, I can't leave behind Sasuke and Itachi," She said. Her own eyes widened, she could want to stay all she wants but it didn't mean it was possible. It would screw everything up. There would be two Sakura's in the same time period and that couldn't happen. Even so though, the ache that shot through her chest at the thought of abandoning the two most important people in her life at the moment for ten years made her stomach churn unpleasantly. After all they had been through, they needed her right now.

Hiruzen looked thoughtful for a moment. Silence stretched on and Sakura was about to speak again and tell him she knew it wasn't possible when he beat her too it.

"I understand why you don't want to leave them now," he said and Sakura waited for him to flat out tell her she had no choice in the matter. "I may have an idea that you will probably be interested in."

000

Sakura weaved the correct hand signs and the heavy rock groaned before admitting her entrance. She pulled the large bag of clothes over her shoulder more snuggly as she descended the stairs. She had gone to Itachi's home to collect what clothes she could for Itachi and Sasuke, as well as herself. She had also grabbed some food from a food stall on the way back from the Hokage tower seeing as none of them had eaten since early the night before. While getting the clothes she grabbed a small container for Shisui's eyes once she removed them. After Itachi got over the initial shock of losing his best friend he had told Sakura of Shisui's wish to have his eyes removed. She understood why, Danzo would never get them.

She immediately noticed Shisui's blanket covered body lying at the opposite side of the room and she dropped the bags lightly on the stone floor before making her way over to him. They had yet to figure out if they would hand him over to be buried by the village or bury him themselves. She knelt down next to him and pulled the blanket back from his face. Her lips turned down in a sad frown. She couldn't believe he was really gone, after everything that they had done to stop this all, it happened anyways. His face was peaceful looking and if Sakura had to guess she would say he had come to terms with his own death and accepted it before he passed on. The thought that he could now be with his little sister and his parents made him dying slightly less bitter. Without further hesitation she pushed back his eyelids and closed her own for a few seconds before opening them again and getting to work.

Once she finished she placed the blanket back over his face before placing her hand over his cold chest, which could be felt even through the blanket.

"I'm sorry I couldn't save you." She said her breath hitching slightly. Tears once again stung her eyes and this time she let them fall. They silently ran down her cheeks and she fell forward, letting her forehead rest on his chest and she continued to silently cry, her breathing hiccupping slightly. This went on for a few minutes, she wasn't sure how long but she wasn't going to rush herself. She hadn't even gotten the chance to really cry. She had been too preoccupied with taking care of Itachi. Then they had to tell Sasuke. Sakura hadn't slept at all last night. Itachi had rested his head in her lap and had managed to fall asleep somehow. The calming way she was playing with his hair probably helped soothe him. Naturally he had nightmares. Something Sakura now knew about Itachi is that he was a lot more sensitive to death and destruction than he let on. The death and pain of others plagued his mind and wreaked havoc on him once he was asleep and no longer had control over his own thoughts. She wiped away her tears almost angrily. She was angry with herself. She should have seen this outcome and she should have done more to stop it! In her heart she knew this situation was kind of out of her control but she still felt horrible about it.

Sakura turned her attention to the two boys in the other corner of the room. Sasuke was curled up into a tight ball, his hands fisting Itachi's shirt tightly. Itachi had his arms around his little brother while the rest of his body was curled around him as well. Sakura frowned. Sasuke hadn't taken the news too well when he woke up earlier before Sakura left to go talk to the Hokage. He hadn't left Itachi's side and refused to let him go. Clingy was an understatement, Itachi however seemed to need the comfort of his brother as well and accepted Sasuke's clinginess for the time being. Both brothers were currently asleep, although Sakura knew if she had been anyone else Itachi would have woken up instantly.

She walked over to the boys' quietly and her heart ached when she saw the dried tear tracks down Sasuke's face. She knelt behind Itachi's back and reached forward to lightly brush his inky black bangs out of his face. He immediately stirred his eyes opening to reveal dark bottomless orbs. Sakura could still see the blatant pain there but he was hiding it better than he had last night.

"I need to speak with you." She whispered trying not to wake Sasuke. The poison was nearly out of his system but not completely so he was still pretty groggy and that paired with the emotional pain he was currently going through it wasn't exactly odd for him to be passed out again. Itachi nodded and carefully detangled himself from Sasuke, happy to see the boy was still fast asleep.

Itachi sat down a little ways away from Sasuke so their conversation wouldn't reach him easily. Sakura moved toward him and without warning crawled into his lap and sat down so she was sideways, her legs extended out at Itachi's side and her head rested on his chest. Itachi's arms instantly wrapped around her and his chin rested softly against the top of her head.

"What is it?" He asked quietly.

"Hiruzen and I spoke and I think we have come up with a plan." She paused and took a deep breath. "I know I haven't spoken to you about this since everything happen because quite frankly I feel like it happened only an hour ago." Itachi raised an eyebrow at her even though she couldn't see it.

"Talk to me." He said his voice still quiet. She nuzzled her face into his chest before speaking, her voice slightly muffled.

"I can't leave you, I can't leave you and Sasuke like this for ten years. I just couldn't bear the thought." Itachi tensed and held her closer. If he was being completely honest with himself he didn't want her to leave either. Especially after everything. He didn't like the idea of him and Sasuke going through this without Sakura with them. She had become a part of his family and thought of losing her for any amount of time caused his chest to ache. He stopped being surprised at the things that happened to him when Sakura was around. The emotions that were once foreign were now a normal occurrence. He loved her with everything he had and there was no denying that now.

"We have no choice," he admitted a frown marring his features.

"We might, The Third gave me a great idea that just might work." Sakura looked up to see Itachi raising a brow at her. "You and Sasuke," she glanced at the still sleeping boy as he seemed to squirm in his sleep. "Can come back to the future with me." Suddenly Sakura was being pushed back and Itachi was looking at her in mild shock and curiosity, his hands gripping her shoulders softly as he searched her eyes for any sign of uncertainty.

"That's possible?"

"I think so yes, think about it. There will be no double you or double Sasuke because you would literally be removed from the past and put into the future." She paused gauging his reaction carefully. He seemed intrigued but also wary about the idea.

"Are you sure, this will work? Wouldn't people wonder why we haven't aged? Especially Sasuke. We could blame my appearance on good genes but Sasuke would be too obvious. A seven year old who is supposed to be seventeen wouldn't work."

"We thought about that," Sakura explained and she looked down slightly. "Depending on what my own excuse for disappearing for six months is in this new future, I could say that I found you and brought you back to the village. You will have Sasuke with you but we might be able to convince people he is your…son." Itachi's eyes widened and after a moment of silence Sakura looked up.

"That's…genius," he admitted. "But, what about Sasuke? Everyone will wonder where he is."

"Hiruzen said he will claim that you were the only survivor and that Sasuke was counted among the dead." There was another moment of silence as Itachi sat and thought about everything. Sakura wasn't sure how many minutes past.

"This could work," he admitted with slight surprise in his voice.

"When we get there either Hiruzen will still be Hokage or he will have filled someone else in on the information so we will be accepted without question. You and Sasuke will live with me-" Sakura paused her eyes wide "I mean if you want to live with me that is…" she said trailing off. Itachi sighed and Sakura knew just by looking at him that if he wasn't in such a depressed mood he would be smiling at her. She felt his warm fingers brush against the side of her face softly and she leaned into the touch.

"As cheesy as it sounds…" he began his lips twitching slightly as if he almost wanted to smile "As long as I'm with you I don't care where I live." Sakura snorted a laugh.

"You're right that is cheesy," she said before going silent and pushing up to leave a soft kiss on Itachi's forehead. He sighed contently, wrapping his arms around her as she did the same, lowering herself so her face was against his neck and her legs were straddling him. She breathed in his calming scent before murmuring

"Is this something we can do?"

"Hn. I think it's definitely possible. I also think we should give it a try," he admitted hugging her closer. "But if we do this and Sasuke poses as my son, we will need to give him a new name."

"Good, tomorrow we will do it then. We will think more on that later, although I kind of like the name Daisuke. Right now though, let's wake Sasuke up and eat the food I brought." Itachi didn't let up on his grip on her and she glanced to the side to see him looking at something over her shoulder. She glanced back and saw Shisui's covered body again. She frowned.

"I'd like to bury him ourselves," Itachi said his voice almost a whisper. Sakura nodded and hugged him tightly.

"Okay, if that's what you want." She said.


	23. The Future Is Bright

"Okay, The Third told me if you both just hold onto me while I preform the hand signs you will be transported with me," Sakura explained, kneeling on the ground in the same spot she had appeared in six months ago. "Sasuke come here," Sakura instructed softly. Sasuke reluctantly left his Aniki's side to approach Sakura. She moved him in front of her and pulled him close almost in a hug. "Hold on to me tightly okay? Don't let go no matter what you feel." She saw him nod and felt his small arms wrap tightly around her neck.

"Do you want me to grab a hold of you from behind?" Itachi asked kneeling down directly behind Sakura. The pinkette took a deep breath and nodded. She was nervous. What if this didn't work? What if something went wrong and they all somehow got separated? Sakura's inner panic disappeared the moment Itachi's arms wrapped tightly around her middle. As if sensing her panic she felt him move closer to her his grip tightening.

"Itachi, what if this-"

"Shh," he cut her off "It will be fine, let's just get this over with." Sakura swallowed and nodded. She lifted her hands up, warning her boys again to never let go of her no matter what. Each of them answered her warning with the tightening of their grips.

As she weaved the last hand sign and placed her hand on the ground she sighed in slight relief as the circle of light encased all three of them. The relief was short lived however as the wind picked up, whipping their hair around them and Sakura felt her vision blur just like the first time she did this. The last thing she remembered before everything went dark was the way Sasuke held onto her so tight it hurt, his face buried against her neck.

000

Sakura felt weird as if something was pushing hard on her chest, making it ache with each shove.

"Sakura-nee," came the pained groan from beneath her making her eyes shoot open just as she felt herself being lifted off a red faced Sasuke. Itachi pulled Sakura against him as her balanced wavered slightly. Sasuke began to take deep breaths of air once Sakura's weight had been lifted off of him. She must have fallen forward when she passed out and fell directly onto the small Uchiha.

"I'm sorry Sasuke are you okay?" She asked worried before kneeling down at his side. He nodded, catching his breath.

"I'm fine."

"Sakura we can't call him Sasuke anymore, remember?" Itachi pointed out with a slight frown.

"Right," Sakura said with a frown of her own.

"My name is Daisuke now right?" Sasuke asked. Sakura nodded.

"Yes, do you like that name?" She asked brushing his bangs out of his face softly. He nodded looking thoughtful.

"Do I have to call Itachi-nii father now too?"

"Only in public," Itachi answered. He wished it didn't have to be this way but if it meant him and Sasuke could be with Sakura it was a small price to pay. Itachi wasn't aware of everything he did in his life so he had no idea how the future would be directly influenced now that Sasuke and himself had been taken out. He was curious about what and how things would change. Would it be a good change or a bad? Sasuke continued to look thoughtful.

"I don't feel right calling you father or tou-san. Can I call you Papa instead?" The young boy asked curiously.

"Of course you can, Daisuke, call me whatever you want," Itachi said with a smile hoping Sasuke would be happy in the end of this. Regardless though, he would be by his little brother's side throughout it all.

The trio began their walk toward the village only to stop when Sasuke's walk suddenly grew slow, his hand going to his head as he swayed forward. Itachi stopped him from completely falling over as the boy groaned and clutched his stomach.

"I don't feel good," he complained making Sakura frown. She had been feeling slightly dizzy and nauseous as well since they started walking but it was manageable.

"It's normal," Sakura responded to the worried look Itachi sent her way. "When I first travelled I nearly threw up on Shisui remember?" Itachi nodded, remembering that quite well. Suddenly Sasuke jumped away from Itachi and hunched over, spilling his stomach contents out onto the grass. Itachi moved forward to rub his back slightly in a comforting motion as Sasuke continued to heave. Sakura wasn't sure if she would end up getting sick like last time but she wanted to keep moving. After Sasuke wiped his mouth he stood up and walked forward.

"I think I'm okay now," he said his voice slightly rougher than before. Sakura nodded and they continued on.

The walk home was a decent one and along the way Sasuke threw up two more times, Itachi ended up getting sick two times and Sakura only did once. By the time they arrived at the village gates they were tired and feeling more than a little under the weather. Sasuke stuck close to Itachi's side and the older man stood behind Sakura, following her closely as they continued forward.

"Sakura! You're back from your mission! How are you do-" Kotetsu stopped short when he recognized the man standing behind her "Is that…"

"Itachi Uchiha," Sakura answered without hesitation. "I found him during my travels and he would like to come back to the village after his time away." Sakura explained calmly. The Third had told her he would list Sasuke among the dead and explain that Itachi left to travel and deal with the pain of the loss in his own way. They both realized the plan wasn't the best and could easily be called a lie but it was all they had to go on and judging by the look of calm and understanding on Kotetsu and Izumo's faces, the plan had actually worked.

"Welcome back, Itachi," they said before looking down at Sasuke who was still standing close to his brother. He grew nervous as the two men looked at him. Would they know who he was? Could he act like his older brother was his father or would they know he was lying? Sasuke subconsciously moved even closer to Itachi, clutching at the man's dark pants making him look like a shy child.

"And who is this?" Izumo asked quietly "He kind of looks like little Sas-" The glare that Sakura shot them was deadly looking and Izumo shut up immediately.

"This is Daisuke, he is my son. I agree he has a striking resemblance to my little brother," Itachi spoke seriously, seemingly unaffected by their observation. The two men nodded.

"Well Sakura, I'm sure Tsunade would be delighted to know you have returned. You should report to her." Sakura nodded and motioned for Itachi and Sasuke to follow her.

It didn't take them long to reach Hokage tower. They were permitted into Tsunade's office immediately and as Itachi and Sasuke followed the pinkette inside a beaming smile covered Tsunade's face.

"Well I'll be damned, it worked." She said sounding amazed. Sakura's eye brows furrowed in confusion. How did she know? Was Hiruzen still alive? Did he fill her in? If the Third was still alive though, Tsunade probably wouldn't be Hokage right now.

"Don't look so confused, Sakura. I filled her in on everything." Came the familiar voice of her sensei from behind them. The occupants of the room turned in time to see the silver haired man walk through the door. He came up behind Itachi and patted the man on the back, a smile clearly curving underneath his black mask. "Good to see you all made it in one piece. Long-time no see."

"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura smiled, happy to see their plan had worked out so nicely. "Where is Lord Third?" She asked curiously wondering if he was still alive or not.

"He died when Orochimaru attacked the village," Kakashi explained. Sakura furrowed her brow again.

"But Sasuke wasn't there for him to have reason to even come to the village," Sakura said confused.

"Clearly Orochimaru didn't originally just show up for Sasuke, he wanted his revenge too. Even though you tipped us off Hiruzen still died fighting his student."

"Is anything else different?" She asked "Who replaced Sasuke on team 7."

"A guy named Sai."

"But Sai was in the foundation. This doesn't add up." She mumbled almost to herself. Kakashi shot her a confused look clearly unaware that Sai had originally been in the foundation.

"Speaking of the foundation," Itachi interrupted, his voice harder than it usually was. "What became of Danzo?"

Tsunade who had originally remained silent stood from her desk, a grim look on her face.

"He was charged with the annihilation of your clan and put in jail for three years. He was then released and is now a part of the council once again." She said inwardly flinching at the way Itachi's eyes hardened. She didn't fail to miss the anger rolling off of Sakura in waves at this new revelation.

"What the hell!? Why was that _murderer_ allowed to see the light of day again!?" Sakura asked completely shocked and angry that he hadn't gotten near what he deserved.

"As much as I hate to admit this Sakura. Danzo aided the village in a lot of ways. His ROOT organization took care of the dirty work we tried to avoid giving to our regular shinobi. When he was put in jail we attempted to disband ROOT and integrate its members into our ANBU ranks. The plan backfired when we realized each member had been marked with Danzo's version of a curse mark. They couldn't speak a word about Danzo to anyone. It literally choked them if they tried and " There was a pause as Sakura remembered when Sai stuck his tongue out to show them the black tattoo like marking there, stopping him from spilling what he knew about Danzo and his dirty schemes.

"Not only that, but because of their fierce loyalty to Danzo, none of them could be completely trusted. There was no predicting whether or not they could be loyal to their fellow comrades. So all that being said, our hand was forced when it came to releasing Danzo. He may be on the council but don't mistake his place there. He will never again be trusted with sensitive information unless absolutely necessary and he can no longer act on his own. His decisions are critically monitored at all times." Tsunade paused in her explanation when she saw the slightly pained look in Itachi's eyes. She knew no amount of explaining their reasoning would make the Uchiha feel any better. His family was gone and Danzo had been solely responsible. Tsunade knew if it were possible she would lock Danzo up for the rest of his miserable existence. The village however, needed his ruthless and emotionless ROOT organization in order to keep the village in working order, but never again would the man be seen as anything other than a lying, murderer who can never be completely trusted. Tsunade inwardly grimaced, at least to her he would never be seen as anything else.

The news about Danzo's involvement in the Uchiha Clan Massacre had been revealed to the general public but not completely. The details were watered down slightly and only people of importance knew the full truth.

"Look, Itachi," she paused and looked down at a confused looking Sasuke. "And Sasuke. I don't blame you for being upset with this outcome. I wished things were different but they can't be." Sakura looked at Itachi, his head was down slightly, his hands clenched into fists at his side. Sasuke was also looking up at his brother not knowing what exactly was going on but he could tell Itachi was upset.

"I have one thing to say." Itachi said, his voice eerily calm "He better not show his face around me."

Tsunade bowed her head slightly.

"Itachi, be smart about this," she advised lightly "I don't blame you if you kill the asshole, however, it wouldn't be smart."

"Hn."

Sakura made her way over to her lover and grasped his clenched fist in her hand making him relax it immediately. She threaded her fingers through his.

"I think we are going to leave now. The time travelling has made us all feel sick," she said giving Itachi's hand a squeeze. Tsunade nodded in understanding.

"Very well. Have you changed Sasuke's name?"

"Yes, he is Daisuke now. He will be known as Itachi's son," Sakura explained. Tsunade nodded.

"Very well, we will speak more on this tomorrow, for now I hope you all get some rest."

As they all left and walked through the streets of the village Sakura looked around, taking it all in. Nothing had drastically changed appearance wise. Everyone seemed just as friendly and happy.

"Is that…no way!" Sasuke exclaimed his eyes wide. "Ni- Papa, look it's the idiot!" Sasuke whispered. Itachi noticed his almost slip when he said 'nii' but brushed it off, it would take some getting used to by all of them. Sakura was about to ask what Sasuke was talking about when,

"Sakura!" Came the all too familiar voice just as a blur of blonde bounded up to her, lifting her off the ground and spinning her around. "Welcome back! We missed you!" Naruto cried happily, squeezing the life out of her.

"Naruto...can't breathe." She groaned before he let her go, his signature grin in place. "I missed you too, but who is 'we'?" She asked curiously. Naruto jabbed his thumb behind him just as she saw someone else walk up.

"Me and Sai of course." He said still smiling.

"Calm down, dickless." Sai grumbled, flicking the blonde in the ear making him pout at the annoying jab toward his man parts. "Hello, Sakura, it's nice to see you again." He said before doing something she never once expected from Sai of all people. He leaned forward and hugged her tightly, pulling her close without hesitation. Who was this man? He certainly wasn't the emotionally stunted person she knew from her old future. This wasn't adding up, Sai was in the foundation, not the academy where she and Naruto had come from. How did he end up replacing Sasuke on their team?

"Hey, who is this?" Naruto asked confused as if just noticing Itachi and Sasuke's existence to her side.

"Naruto, this is Itachi," She answered as Sai finally pulled away.

"Itachi…?" Naruto started, his eyes widening only slightly. "As in Itachi _Uchiha_?" he asked again.

"Yes," she said looking at her blonde friend warily as his eyes shot down to Sasuke.

"But that's…That is Sas-"

"Naruto, a word please?" She asked calmly. The man swallowed not tearing his eyes away from Sasuke as Sakura all but dragged him away from the group.

"Sakura, there is no doubt in my mind, that is Sasuke." Naruto said no trace of uncertainty in his voice.

"Naruto, be realistic, how could that possibly be Sasuke. He died ten years ago. Itachi was the only survivor remember?" finally a sliver of uncertainty flashed through his eyes as he looked over to where Itachi and Sasuke stood, the younger boy talking with Sai. Sakura took a double look when she saw the smile on Sai's face, for once it wasn't fake. Even from here she could tell it was as real as any smile could get. Who the hell was that? Sakura could feel a headache forming behind her eyes. This was a lot to take in and she, Itachi and Sasuke all needed time to process it.

"I guess you're right, then who is he then?"

"His name is Daisuke and he's Itachi's son." Sakura said frowning inwardly. She hated lying to her friend but for now it was for the best. Maybe sometime later she would tell him the truth. Sasuke was his best friend and she knew even in the academy before Sasuke 'died' Naruto saw him as more than just a rival. She could only imagine how the blonde took the news of his 'death'.

"Wow talk about Uchiha genes, how could Itachi's son look so much like his little brother?"

"It's possible," Sakura said easily before making their way back to the other three boys. "Itachi and Daisuke will be staying at my house till further notice and for now we will be leaving, I'll see you two later okay?" She asked smiling at them both through her exhaustion.

"Sure thing, bye Sakura!" Naruto said beginning to walk past them. Sakura didn't fail to miss how his eyes lingered on Sasuke a moment longer than necessary, his eyes confused as if he was still trying to justify the possibility that, that was indeed the same kid he went to the Academy with ten years ago.

It didn't take the three of them long to reach Sakura's house and when they walked inside it was clear no one had been here for six long months. It was hot and stuffy inside. Itachi still had the bag with all their belonging slung over his shoulder and he set it down to help Sakura open all the windows to air the home out. When they returned to the living room they noticed Sasuke lying on the couch, fast asleep. Sakura smiled softly at the site and moved to kneel in front of him, brushing his dark bangs away from his face.

"He did well today. I think this will be easier than we expected. People are very open to accepting our story so far."

"Except for the fact that almost everyone immediately recognized him as Sasuke." Itachi said with a sigh as he sat down at one side of the couch by Sasuke's feet. There was a frown on the man's face as he spoke again "Maybe this wasn't the best idea." He said clearly second guessing their decision. Sakura frowned before moving to kneel instead between Itachi's legs. She rested her hands on each of his knees before looking up at him.

"Why do you say that?"

"Maybe if I had stayed I could have stopped Danzo from being released." He said knowing full well that was a load of crap. Clearly they had released him because the village needed him. In Itachi's opinion, and even though he knew he wasn't thinking rationally in this particular situation, he didn't think that anyone needed a man like Danzo. Sakura sighed.

"You know very well that wouldn't have change a thing when it comes to Danzo's fate." She stood then and pulled Itachi up to a standing position. She wasted no time in wrapping her arms around him and pulling him close, her face buried into his warm chest as she breathed in his calming scent. Tears randomly pricked at her eyes as she thought about everything that the three of them had been through in the past week alone and the feeling of relief that they had all made it out alive and together made her so happy.

"I love you, I'll never leave you. I for one am so happy that you both came here with me." Itachi wrapped his arms around her as well and tightened his hold on her.

"I…" He sighed and leaned down to bury his face in her pink hair before continuing. "I love you too, Sakura," he almost whispered. Sakura gripped him even tighter as her heart flipped in her chest. He actually said it out loud. He loved her. Her tears filled faster and finally fell over her eye lids, wetting Itachi's shirt slightly. If he noticed he didn't say anything and they both stood there for an unknown amount of time just embracing each other as tightly as possible.

After a few more moments of silence, Sakura's tears dried up and she pulled her head away from him to look up into his dark eyes which were currently swirling with a bunch of different emotions.

"I'm tired. How about we go to my room and take a nap?" Sakura asked. Itachi nodded.

"I'd like that," he agreed. Together they made their way to her room. Sasuke was being carried by Itachi before he was laid softly down in the middle of Sakura's rather large bed. They both crawled in on either side of the sleeping child and cuddled close to him. Their arms rested over him and their foreheads were touching as they looked at one another. With a small smile Sakura closed her eyes and the small little family rested peacefully for the remainder of the afternoon. This could work, they could do it as long as they were together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next stop! EPILOGUE! :D


	24. Epilogue

With a sigh Sakura placed the small cup of water in her hands on the table and stood from her place on the couch. She approached the tall form of Itachi who was standing with his back to her, looking out the window.

"Itachi, stop it." She said softly before wrapping her arms around him from behind and laying the side of her face against his warm back. He was tense as he continued looking out the window, watching as a few villagers hurried by on their way to the shops. After a few seconds Itachi relaxed his muscles only a small amount before letting out a sigh of his own.

It had been two and a half weeks since they settled into Sakura's small one bedroom home. Her bedroom was cluttered because of three people's belongings being stuffed into one small room. Sakura didn't seem to mind though. Until they could figure something else out Itachi, Sasuke and Sakura would share the bed and small living quarters.

It had taken two full weeks for Sakura to convince both Sasuke and Itachi that the younger was ready to go back to the Academy. Sasuke had been very hesitant, worried people would find out who he was. It was irrational especially because none of the younger kids would even know what Sasuke and the Uchiha's even looked like. Finally Sasuke had agreed to go back. Today was his first day and his poor older brother was worried about him.

"You think he will fit in okay?" Itachi asked quietly, breaking his almost fifteen minute long silence.

"Of course he will," Sakura said without hesitation. "Sasuke is strong, Itachi don't underestimate him. Going back to his lessons will be good for him. He needs a sense of normalcy again."

"Tch, nothing about what happened two weeks ago was normal, Sakura." Itachi almost snapped. Sakura frowned and pulled away from him.

"If you regret coming with me Itachi just say so, maybe we can figure out a way for you to go back or something. You don't seem happy so who am I to keep you here." She bit out moving toward the table and picking up her water. She made her way into the small kitchen, dumping out the water and placing the cup in the sink. She felt Itachi's presence behind her so she wasn't surprised to turn around and find him rather close to her. The look in his eyes was intense and she didn't speak, waiting for him to make the first move.

"Don't, Sakura." He said his voice serious as he pressed close to her.

"Don't what? Ever since we have come here you seem tense and stressed. You don't seem happy."

"It's not coming here that made me unhappy. And it has nothing to with you either," He said and the emotion that swam in his bottomless dark eyes made Sakura sure he wasn't lying. "I lost my family and my best friend. I hurt in a way that I've never hurt before." He said fisting the fabric in the middle of his shirt tightly as his eyes closed. He stopped speaking for a moment before opening his eyes again and locking onto Sakura's emerald orbs and speaking again "And thinking about the pain I am feeling I hate the fact that Sasuke is feeling the exact same thing, only worse because he doesn't know _why_ it happened or _who_ did it. He is forced to accept that his family is gone just because they are gone. I'm worried about him and I want to be there for him. I don't want to let him go too far away from my protection I just…" he sucked in a shallow breath before continuing "I _know_ I can't baby him. He needs to be strong and he never will be if I'm always there to shelter him from any and all harm. But he's-"

"He's your baby brother, and the only blood family you have left." Sakura finished for him. His eyes widened a slight amount before he audibly swallowed against the lump that had slowly started to form in his throat from the time he started talking.

"Yes he is and I love him. I can't bear the thought of losing him."

"Itachi," Sakura began reaching up to cup both sides of his face. He placed his own hands over hers as his dark eyes stared back at her while she continued. "He will be fine. You're right, you can't baby him. He needs to make mistakes and he needs to learn from them on his own. You can still be his all-knowing older brother and you can give him the sharp push he needs whenever he needs one but that's it. You are his father figure now. You need to raise him the right way," Sakura paused and swallowed against her own emotions as they welled up in the form of tears in her eyes "You need to take care of him and raise him how your mother would have wanted you too." Tears welled in Itachi's eyes also but he refused to let them fall.

"You're right." He said nodding, making Sakura drop her hands only to rest them on his hips. He leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. When he pulled back the smallest hint of a smile twitched at his lips. Sakura's heart flipped at the sight, she had missed that expression. She hadn't seen if for too long.

"If I stray from the right path will you be here to get me back on track?" He asked her seriously. She smiled at him and nodded.

"Of course, you know I will."

000

Weeks turned into months and the missing pieces of Sakura's memory gap had slowly been put back in place. The question of how Sai had been placed on her team instead of in ROOT was answered. It turned out that the time Danzo had actually spent in jail was around the same time he should have recruited Sai but seeing as he was not able to do that, the boy was never taken and instead was placed in the academy. Sakura also found out that Kakashi was still their sensei and they still preformed their many missions together. Naruto had gone to train with Jiraya for two years and had since returned. Much to Sakura's happiness Naruto hadn't changed one bit and all though his bond with Sai wasn't even nearly as close to the bond he shared with Sasuke originally it was still there. Naruto considered Sai a close friend and Sakura was happy about that.

000

**2 months after the time travel**

"So Itachi, have you made your decision?" Tsunade asked from her seat at the desk. Itachi stood straighter and looked seriously at her.

"I have Lady Tsunade," he said before relaxing slightly as he thought over what he was about to say. "I have decided, after much consideration, that I do not wish to return to ANBU." Tsunade sat there in silence after hearing what he said and with a sigh she stood and rounded the desk to stand in front of him. She extended her hand and spoke.

"As much as I'm displeased to hear this, Uchiha, I understand completely. This is a new start for you and you should take full advantage of it," Itachi grasped her hand in a firm grip offering her a small smile. "However," she continued pulling her hand away and leaning back against her desk in a relaxed stance. "If you do not wish to remain in ANBU what would you like to do? I'm afraid 'retire early' will not be an acceptable answer because a skilled shinobi such as yourself is sorely needed." She said with a small grin. Itachi smirked.

"That wouldn't have been my answer anyways. As for what I want to do, well I'm not really sure. I was planning on leaving that up to you to decide. If you wish to place me on a team or assign me a genin team I will accept it." Tsunade's eyes widened slightly before a smirk of her own graced her face.

"A Genin team huh? That's not a half bad idea," She said tapping her chin with her index finger. "Well for now I will think it over and let you know.

00

"Mm, 'tachi!" Sakura moaned arching her back, her naked chest brushing up against his as he thrust into her over and over. It had been a while since they had been intimate and the feeling of him so close, filling her completely again, was like coming home. His heavy breathing in her ear sent shivers down her spine in the most delicious way. She was close and she felt his lips trail down the column of her neck nipping and sucking at the sensitive flesh.

"Sakura," Itachi moaned, his hips pushing into her harder as they both fell quickly toward their release. Itachi groaned lowly into her neck when her inner muscles clenched around him as her orgasm claimed her, his name on her lips. Her arms tightened around his shoulders as he pushed into her three more times before stilling and emptying his seed against her still clenching walls. With a small exhale of breath he pulled out of her and laid down next to her. She immediately snuggled into his warm side while he pulled the blanket over them both. The silence in the room went on for a few minutes before Sakura spoke, her voice soft as she traced patterns on Itachi's chest and over his hard abdominal muscles.

"Itachi?"

"Hm?"

"Where do you see us in the future?" She asked curiously. He tightened his one armed hold on her as he thought over his answer. The answer swirling around in his head made him hesitate. They had only been together a total of seven, almost eight months now and he didn't want to freak her out by going too fast. Itachi didn't have much experience with this stuff but the fact that they felt so passionate about each other and had only been together for a short time made him decide to just tell her.

"Honestly?" He asked rhetorically. "I want to…marry you one day." He said. Sakura lifted her head from his warm chest to look at him wide eyed. He bit the inside of his cheek as he waited for her response, hoping it was a good one. The tenseness in his chest released the moment he saw a smile curl against her lips and she laid her head back down, cuddling as close to him as she possibly could.

"Good," she said "I happen to feel the same."

No more words needed to be said and the couple slowly drifted off to sleep. They had only two more hours before Sasuke would be home, which was plenty of time for a nap.

000

**1 year after time travel**

"Forehead! Why didn't you tell me sooner!?" Ino asked slightly peeved that her best friend had been holding out on her.

"Well Daisuke needed to be told first. Now that he knows and is happy about it I can tell you," Sakura explained. Ino smiled.

"I'm happy for you Sakura," she said truthfully. "He sure took a long time to propose though," she grumbled sounding annoyed. Sakura grinned.

"I knew long before he proposed that he wanted to marry me," Sakura admitted with a small blush.

"Have you guys set a date?" Ino asked taking a small sip of her drink as she looked at Sakura expectantly.

"Pig, he only proposed a week ago give us some time to think about that." Sakura laughed as Ino rolled her eyes.

"Well he isn't getting any younger, how old is he now? 28?" She asked with a raised blonde brow. Sakura rolled her eyes.

"Something like that…" Sakura trailed off before rolling her eyes "And don't start on the age difference again Ino. I don't want to delve into that with you again. Age is just a number, we love each other," she flashed her ring at her best friend as a way of pointing that out "Obviously."

"Yea, yea, yea. Just know though that I want to help you plan the wedding," she said with a pout. Sakura grinned.

"Every detail?"

"Totally every detail," Ino answered with her own grin. Sakura laughed.

"I'm okay with that," she said honestly.

000

**1 year 7 months after time travel**

"Itachi!" Sakura squealed when she was lifted up into his arms so he could carry her over the threshold of their home. The wedding had been beautiful with all their closest friends in attendance. It was quiet and took place in a small area outside the village. Everyone was overwhelmingly happy for the couple and Tsunade herself seemed to be the most pleased out of everyone. Her apprentice looked beautiful and so happy. Her white wedding kimono was gorgeous with its pink flowers embroidered along the bottom, trailing up the skirt to her waist where it connected with a light pink obi, tied in a large bow at the small of her back. It was a beautiful wedding fit for a beautiful couple. Ino was pretty damn proud of herself.

Once they made it to the bedroom she was set lightly on her feet and she fussed over the slight wrinkles in her kimono.

"Don't bother with that, wife." Itachi smirked stepping closer to her and kissing her softly under her ear. Sakura shivered at the sensation and her eyes fluttered shut as her hands gripped Itachi's sides as his kisses moved south, down the column of her neck before stopping to suck on her sensitive skin.

"Mm, why shouldn't I bother with it, husband?" She asked, her voice breathy. She felt his lips smile against the now lightly marked skin of her neck.

"Because I will be removing it from you in a moment or so…" he explained shortly before gripping her hips tightly and lifting her off the ground. Sakura squealed in surprise as she was tossed on the bed only to erupt in a fit of laughter as soon as Itachi playfully threw himself onto the bed next to her, making their bodies bounce. Suddenly Itachi was hovering over her, his eyes intense.

"Thank you, Sakura," he said with a serious look on his face.

"For what?"

"Everything. For everything you have done for me, for my family and my little brother. Most of all thank you for making me happy." Sakura smiled softly and cupped each side of his face in her hands.

"I love you Itachi. You are my everything," she murmured laying a soft kiss against his lips.

"And I love you..." he paused, humour in his eyes "Pinky," he grinned, laughing softly at the half-hearted glare Sakura shot him.

000

**2 years after time travel**

"Congratulations, Daisuke!" Sakura cheered laying a small kiss on the side of his head. He pouted slightly at the embarrassing display before smiling up at the two most important people in his life. His older brother was beaming proudly at him as he held his new leaf headband signifying he was now an official genin at the age of nine years old. The teammates in his squad were a couple years older than him but because of Sasuke's amazing display of skill he moved up faster than the other students, much to Itachi's happiness.

Naruto was their squad Jonin leader which meant he was eventually filled in on the whole Sasuke situation. He threw a fit and ranted at Sakura that he knew it was the Sasuke he remembered but after he calmed down he came to the realization that Sakura had little choice in the matter when it came to lying to him. He was just happy they eventually did tell him.

"So Daisuke," Itachi began as the three of them began walking toward home.

"Daisuke!" Cried a young girl running up to Sasuke. There was a huge smile on her face as another boy ran up next to her. Sakura instantly recognized them as Konohamaru and Moegi, Sasuke's new genin team.

"Yea?" Sasuke asked a small smile on his face.

"We were going to go out to eat as a team to celebrate, do you want to join us?" Moegi asked enthusiastically. Sasuke looked up at Itachi and then Sakura.

"Can I go, Papa?" Sasuke asked Itachi quietly. Itachi smiled and ruffled Sasuke's dark spiky hair.

"Of course you can, just come home when you're done. Sakura and I have some good news to tell you." Sasuke eyes widened at what Itachi said before he nodded and took off running after his two teammates.

Itachi sighed and Sakura sidled up next to him and hugged him from the side. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close as they watched Sasuke disappear around a corner.

"I'm excited to tell him," Itachi admitted as they both turned around to walk home, Sakura still clinging to his side.

"Really?" She asked frowning "Because I'm a little nervous." Itachi chuckled and leaned down to lay a soft kiss on her head.

"Don't be, I'm sure he will be happy."

00

"I'm home!" Sasuke yelled dropping his bag on the floor by the front door. As he walked through the living room he had to dodge the boxes that littered the floor. Most of them were empty and the young boy figured they had gotten some unpacking done today. Sasuke liked the new house. They no longer had to share a bed. He had his own bed now. It took them a while to be able to get another house because money was tight for the first bit but eventually they did it. Sasuke came into the kitchen to see both Itachi and Sakura sitting at the three person table, each drinking cups of tea.

"What did you want to tell me?" Sasuke asked eagerly. He sat down in a seat in between the two adults who had twin smiles on their faces. Although Sakura's looked strained. Was she…nervous? The boy couldn't tell so he looked at Itachi expectantly.

"Well we have some good news," Itachi began. Sakura's voice cut in before Itachi could speak again and with a sigh she grabbed Sasuke's hand and her smile looked slightly less strained as she spoke again.

"I'm going to be having a baby," She said and Sasuke froze his eyes wide as they bounced back and forth from looking at Sakura then to his brother.

"So I'm going to be an Uncle?" Sasuke asked after a long moment of silence. Sakura swallowed and nodded waiting for another reaction. Itachi reached across the table to grab her hand in a way of comfort. She visibly relaxed when a brilliant smile curved Sasuke's lips.

"Really?" He asked looking at Itachi. The older man chuckled and nodded. "That is so amazing! I can't wait." Sakura gave a long sigh of relief, her green eyes twinkling with happiness.

"I'm so happy to hear that!" she said moving her hand to Sasuke's head, ruffling his hair slightly.

"Keep in mind though, to everyone else this will be your brother or sister. Sakura and I have spoken about it and to avoid confusing our son or daughter you will act as a big brother to them, does that sound fair?" He asked. Sasuke, whose smile still hadn't left his face, nodded enthusiastically.

000

** 2 years 5 months**

"Boys!" Sakura called up the stairs to Sasuke's room "Lunch is ready." Sakura sighed tiredly as she rubbed her extended stomach. She was five months pregnant now and the baby was being pretty active today. She returned to the kitchen to finish dishing up lunch for Itachi's genin team just as little Kura spoke up from her spot at the table.

"When is Itachi sensei coming back?" She asked curiously. Sakura smiled as she placed a plate of food in front of the girl.

"He should be home in a few-"She was interrupted by the sound of the front door opening. "-There he is right there." A moment later the pounding of small feet came from the direction of the stairs and Rintaro and Yuko bounded into the kitchen full speed, nearly running right into Sakura. Sasuke walked in a lot more calmly before sitting down at the only empty chair left at the table.

Sakura finished serving the kids their lunch as Itachi appeared in the doorway before making his way to her side. He wrapped his arm softly around her, pulling her close and softly kissing her temple as a greeting. He left her side to move closer to the table and interact with his squad. Sakura watched as he laughed with them and ruffled the boys' hair.

Sakura was happy he decided to take on the task of being a jonin leader, it suited him far better than ANBU did. Skill wise, Itachi belonged in ANBU but personality wise, jonin leader was far better for him. Just watching him these past months, interacting with his team she knew he loved kids. It gave her hope that her unborn child would grow up being beyond loved by both parents and everyone around them. She was excited to bring this child into the world.

"Eat up quick guys, then you need to go home and pack." Itachi said smiling as he stood up from where he had been kneeling next to the table.

"Pack?" Rintaro asked sounding confused as he shoveled a spoonful of rice into his mouth.

"Oh do we have a mission, Itachi-sensei!?" Kura shouted excitedly.

"We sure do, Kura," he said with a smile. "We leave in three hours."

"Yay!" The three of them cheered before eating their food faster.

000

**2 years 8 months after time travel**

"Ahh," Sakura groaned throwing her head back against the soft cushions of the couch as Itachi's thumb drove up roughly into the arch of her aching foot.

"Sorry," he said lessoning the pressure.

"It's okay, for the most part it feels good just you were a little rough that time." Itachi nodded and continued to softly knead the sore muscles.

"How are you feeling today?" He asked a slight frown on his face.

"Good just, uncomfortable. I'm ready for our little man to come out now." She said with a laugh as she rubbed at her rather large stomach, feeling the familiar kick against her hand. The child was very active this past month and it was wearing Sakura out. She had a sneaking suspicion that their baby was a boy but both she and Itachi had decided to wait and be surprised when he/she was born. Itachi didn't bother to guess the sex like Sakura had. He would be happy with whatever.

"Would you like to go for a nap before I go out?" Itachi asked with a small smile knowing her answer before she even said a word.

"Ugh! Yes please!" She said enthusiastically making her husband laugh and place the foot he had been rubbing back on the ground. He stood and bent over to put his arm under her knees and his other arm around her back, lifting her into his arms with relative ease.

"Don't you dare drop me, Itachi!" She squeaked gripping his shoulders tightly. Itachi gave her a look before rolling his eyes and beginning the trek up the stairs.

"As if I'd drop you." He said with a laugh "Don't be so dramatic."

Sakura pouted, her bottom lip jutting out. "Well it's just, I'm a lot heavier than usua-" Itachi cut her off with a soft kiss.

"I don't care about your weight. All I care about is you and our child and that you are both happy. You are still just as beautiful as the day I met you." He said with a sincere smile as they entered their bedroom.

"Itachi…" Sakura sniffled "You know my emotions are all over the place why do you have to say stuff like that? You're going to make me cry." She said with a tearful laugh.

"As long as they're happy tears I'm okay with that." Itachi murmured placing her down onto the bed. He kissed her temple and was just about to pull away when he felt a tug on his arm. He looked down at her smiling face, her quiet tears gone.

"Stay with me?" she asked still smiling. Itachi sighed but couldn't keep the smile off his own face and nodded, climbing into bed with her.

000

**2 years 9 months, 1 week after time travel**

Sasuke paced back and forth in front of the door and had been doing so for about an hour now.

"Sasuke, stop already," Naruto said with an eye roll. "Pacing will not make them come any faster."

"I know that!" The young boy growled "I just want to see my new niece or nephew." He said freezing when he heard the familiar click of the front door as the knob was turned. Sasuke jumped out of the way just as Itachi opened the door and walked inside. He held the door open for Sakura who slowly walked in after him, holding a small bundle in her arms. Sasuke immediately noticed the colour of the blanket and warmth spread through his chest. He was excited and nervous. Would he be a good big brother/Uncle?

"Daisuke," Sakura said as she handed Itachi the small bundle. Sasuke watched his brother carefully arrange it comfortably in the crook of his arm. Itachi leant down to Sasuke's height and the boy immediately peaked into the folds of the blanket. "Welcome your new little sister, Akemi Uchiha." She said softly watching with a smile as Sasuke's eyes lit up with wonder.

"Akemi…" he said with awe "My new little sister." He lifted his finger to run it down her soft cheek.

"Would you like to hold her?" Itachi asked curiously. Sasuke's eyes widened as he looked up at his brother.

"Really?" he asked, his excitement growing. Itachi nodded

"Of course. Just go sit on the couch and I'll place her in your arms okay?" Sasuke enthusiastically nodded and bounded over to the couch taking a seat on the opposite end from Naruto, who was looking at them all with a smile on his face.

After Sasuke was situated on the couch Itachi carefully placed his daughter into his little brother's eager arms.

"Make sure you are always supporting her head okay?"

"Why?" Sasuke asked curiously as he did as he was told.

"She is too small to support it herself right now. She will be like that for a little while." Sasuke nodded at Itachi's explanation but never took his eyes off Akemi. Her eyes were closed and her brow was smooth as she slept. She had a small tuft of black hair on her head and her arms were resting up against her chest, wrapped up completely in her blanket. Her tiny fists were clenching and unclenching and she wiggled slightly in his arms but Sasuke never loosened his grip on her. She was beautiful, that was the only word that came to Sasuke's mind as he looked at her.

"She is isn't she?" Itachi asked softly from his spot kneeling in front of Sasuke. Sasuke hadn't realized he said that out loud but he still refused to take his eyes off of her. Suddenly her eyes fluttered open to lock on his own dark orbs. His eyes widened as he took in the colour. They were a dark forest green, a small bit darker than Sakura's eyes but not nearly as dark as Itachi's. Her eyes took in Sasuke's features a bit longer before she came to the conclusion she wasn't in her mother's arms anymore and her once smooth brow crinkled slightly, her eyes welling with tears before a loud wale escaped her toothless mouth and the tears spilt down her chubby baby cheeks.

Sakura had just been about to tell Itachi to take her back when everyone froze as Sasuke began to speak.

"Shhh," he said softly as Akemi continued to cry "Akemi, it's okay you're big brother is here to take care of you. I won't let anything hurt you," He continued calmly as he rocked her slightly in his arms. The little girl's eyes widened slightly and her crying hiccupped to a stop as she gazed at her big brother's smiling face. Her eyes began to droop shut again as if she understood and believed Sasuke's words and she quickly succumbed to a restful sleep. Sasuke reveled at how warm she was and she smelled amazing. He had never held a newborn baby before. He knew though this baby was special. He needed to be a good example for her to follow. He needed to protect her from anything and everything.

It was some time later before Naruto decided it was his turn to hold her.

"No." Sasuke said snippily as he hugged her closer to him.

"Come on, aren't your arms getting tired?" Naruto asked with a laugh.

"No they will never get tired. You can't have her. No one is allowed to hold her besides me, Itachi and Sakura." The younger boy grumbled. Sakura and Itachi laughed at Naruto's wide eyed expression.

"Now Sasuke, you can't hog her all to yourself," Naruto grumbled right back.

"He's right, Daisuke. It's okay you can let Naruto hold her."

"But, he's an idiot, what if he drops her."

"Hey! You brat-" Naruto started before Itachi cut him off.

"I have faith that Naruto is capable of holding her and if I deem him incapable I will take her back, okay?" He asked amused at the already protective older brother nature that had taken hold of Sasuke. He remembered that feeling from when he was young. It always amused his elders and now he could see why.

"Ugh!" Sasuke groaned before begrudgingly nodding his head "Fine." There was a sigh from Sakura before she spoke

"And Naruto, you really have to stop calling him Sasuke." Naruto pouted as Akemi was placed in his arms.

"I like calling him Sasuke though." Sakura raised a brow at him and he rolled his eyes "Fine I'll try to stop."

000

**10 years after time travel**

"I can't believe this is happening," Itachi groaned as if in pain. He watched his little girl walk away toward the Academy building, her long hair swaying in the breeze. Her hair was rather unique, at the roots it was as black as Itachi's but as it went down the obvious pink hair could be seen. It almost looked like highlights because her hair wasn't solid pink it was choppy with the colour. It looked beautiful just like the rest of her. Her smile was as bright as Sakura's and her eyes were a dark green as if a mix of both parents.

She also seemed to have both of her parent's personalities, sometimes she had a wicked temper, like Sakura. Although at other times she was calm and collected, just like her father.

"What?" Sasuke asked scratching the back of his head as they watched Akemi disappear behind the front doors.

"My baby," Itachi cried again a playful pout on his face "She is all grown up."

"She is," Sakura agreed, gripping Itachi's arm as she tried to kill all the emotions bubbling up inside of her.

"I remember her first word," Sasuke said with a grin. They all turned away from the building to head home. Itachi glanced at his younger brother, their eyes level with each other now. Sasuke was eighteen now and Itachi was surprised at how tall the boy had grown. He was only an inch or so shorter than Itachi now, much to the older man's annoyance.

"Of course you would remember it, it was your name she said," Sakura said with a laugh.

**_*Flashback*_ **

_"Open wide, Akemi," Sasuke said enthusiastically as he pushed the spoon passed her lips. She gurgled happily and swallowed._

_"Dai, Dai!" Cried the one year old happily clapping her hands. Sasuke's eyes widened at the sound._

_"Did you just try to say my name?" He asked incredulously. "Dai-Su-Ke," Sasuke said trying to help her sound it out. Her little brow furrowed as if in concentration._

_"Dai…" she started before slapping her tiny hands onto the table. "Dai, Dai!" She said again with a look that dared Sasuke to correct her. Sasuke laughed loudly and lifted her out of her chair planting a soft kiss on her messy cheek. She giggled girlishly as she fisted Sasuke's dark hair in her hand, tugging softly._

_"DaiDai, DaiDai!" She cried over and over the biggest of smiles on her face._

_"You make your Aniki so happy, Akemi," Sasuke laughed setting her back down softly._

**_*End of Flashback*_ **

"That was so awesome," Sasuke said with a grin.

"Oh!" Sakura said suddenly "What about her first steps? That was nice too." Itachi rolled his eyes.

"Nice for you, slightly embarrassing for me."

"Oh please Itachi, the meaningful moment overshadowed your embarrassing moment."

**_**Flashback**_ **

_"Um Sakura!" Naruto called from the living room sounding anxious._

_"Sakura get in here!" Sai called quickly. Sakura dropped what she was doing in the kitchen and hurried to the living room only to stop short and gasp, her hand flying to her mouth at the sight of her baby girl standing up on her feet. Sakura knelt down a little ways away from her and called to Akemi, her arms held wide in welcome._

_"Itachi! Get down here quick!" She yelled in the direction of the stairs. "Akemi, come here, baby," Sakura said softly as the child smiled and took one wobbly step toward her mother._

_"What!? What's wrong!?" Itachi asked his voice panicked as he entered the room in nothing but a towel around his waist, his hair was dripping wet from his shower as it fell down his back. His eyes widened and his panic disappeared when he saw Akemi._

_Unfortunately the shock of hearing her father yell had made her lose her balance and topple over onto her butt with a thud. Sakura hurried over to her and pulled her into a standing position again before backing away and asking her to come closer again. Her father's panic completely forgotten she smiled at her mother and took another wobbly step toward her goal. Tears pricked Sakura's eyes at the sheer determination she saw on Akemi's face as she took one small step at a time. Sakura felt Itachi kneel behind her calling out more encouraging words._

_It didn't take the child long to reach her parents and she fell forward into Sakura's arms only to be picked up and spun around. Akemi laughed joyously at the excitement in her mother and father's eyes. They showered her with praise and kisses making her giggle at the way it tickled._

_** **End of Flashback****_

There was a small amount of silence between the three of them as they reached their home.

"I can't believe it's been ten years since we arrived here," Sasuke said with a frown. "It feels like it all happened yesterday." Itachi nodded in agreement before wrapping his arm around Sasuke's shoulders while doing the same to Sakura and pulled them both close to him.

"It has been a while," he agreed "But I don't regret one second of it. I'm happy we did what we did." He laid a soft kiss against the side of Sakura's head before letting them go and ruffling Sasuke's hair. "So, excuse me for changing the subject, but when will we be meeting your girlfriend?" Itachi asked Sasuke with a raised brow. Sasuke's eyes widened and his cheeks instantly turned red.

"I…we…it's not like that," he said sounding beyond flustered.

"You should bring her over for dinner this weekend," Sakura said casually. Sasuke's cheeks turned an even brighter red, spreading to his ears at this point. Itachi had to stop himself from laughing.

"I…" he sighed and rolled his eyes "Ugh, fine," he pointed at Itachi, a glare on his face "I swear Itachi if you embarrass me I will end you!" Sasuke threatened seriously. Itachi laughed and reached up to pinch Sasuke's cheek.

"Wouldn't dream of it little brother."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So before you all ask...YES the attack with Pein/Nagato totally happened...I just didn't feel the need to write it because if I'm being completely honest I wasn't FEELING this chapter...at all which is mostly why it took me so long to get out. The attack happened when Akemi was still a baby. Itachi and Sakura were out of the village and Sasuke had to take care of her throughout all that. Naruto was still the hero and stuff but yea. I know with the way I did things the times didn't line up and for that I'm so very sorry. I do sort of regret doing it all the way I did but my need to be different from everyone else had to go and screw that up xD oh well.
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> Thank you so much for reading, I hope you liked it! :) Thanks to those who commented as well :)


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